Memorial Day 2010...

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

But more so to all of the people we know (and don't know) that have served to protect us and in some cases sacrifice their lives for us...  Most of them Straight, but some of them Gay...  Their sexual preference made no difference when they made the choice to protect the rest of us...

Did you know?  Portsmouth, VA has the oldest continuously running (well annually anyway) Memorial Day parade in the US? Something like 125 years in a row there has been one without interruption...  Interesting...

Over, "Out", and getting ready for work, from Portsmouth, VA, USA!

Rehobeth then Cape Cod...

Ok, "we" (mainly me) made a few adjustments to our planned trip...  Did I mention we are on vacation in 6 days?.. Well we are, and I think we both definitely need a "gay-ta-way"... Anyway, we are going to try to cram in as much as we can in the 7 days (Sunday through Saturday) as we can.

Leaving Sunday (as in 1 week, or better yet, 5 working days), we are driving the new Ford FUSION, through Portsmouth and Norfolk, then over and through the infamous Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (the CBBT), up the Eastern Shore, also known as the Del-Mar-Va peninsula, and have booked a room at the Rehobeth Guest House, in Rehobeth, DE... They do not book single nights (Provincetown does not either, I guess the gay-towns like to keep family around), so we will be in Rehobeth until Tuesday morning...  The stop in DE makes the drive up to the cape about 4 hours shorter, so it should make Tuesday's trek a little more enjoyable and palatable.  Michael has never seen or been to NYC, so we may have to detour off the regular route so that he might see how small the Statute of Liberty really is, and see the space in the skyline of lower Manhattan where the Twin Towers once stood...  It will be difficult for me (I have seen those towers many times before their ghostly demise), but fun regardless for the two of us...

We should arrive late afternoon at my brother and sister-in-law's, in Cotuit, MA (not far from the better known village of Hyannis). We will talk most of the night, then crash before our self guided tour of the mid-cape on Wednesday.  We haven't seen the two of them since my niece's graduation from Georgetown...  It will definitely be fun catching up in person, rather than emails...

Wednesday afternoon, the new Ford FUSION (and Gretta the GARMAN) will take us up to P-Town, at the northern end of the cape for our two night stay at the Boatslip Resort...  We plan on doing some "partying" with our extended gay family there, but have also considered a "Whale watching cruise" amongst other activities...  Unfortunately the renowned "Tea Dances" at the Boatslip are scheduled only for the weekends (this early in the season) so alas, I will miss that event again (last time I was there was 2 years ago, right before Memorial Day.  It's all good...  We have awesome "White Parties" at the Ocean View Pier, in Norfolk, lots of eye candy if nothing else...

Anyway, I digress...  Michael wants to get out on a boat (I think, he thinks, I miss boating). But honestly, having a 30 or 40 ton mammal surface very near you as you cruise the ocean (the whale's domain), is a very cool experience, one I wouldn't mind having again...

Friday we will backtrack to Cotuit, maybe do a "Friday Night Out" with family... Then rest up for the 14 hour drive home.  Dang, I am tired just thinking of that drive...

Ok, so those are the "official" plans, and while I am not like my blogging buddy "BOSSY" (who did a 300,000,000 mile trek to meet her constituents). Anyone that is close to where we are planning to stay, or feels the urge to share a cocktail or two and travel, is welcome to comment and let us know when...

Oh, and by the way... Michael is in charge of pictures...  I will post them as time permits during the trip, or when we return...

Over and most absolutely "Out" from our place in Portsmouth, VA 

Vancouver... I love You!

I have had a (very active) visitor from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada recently...  I am intrigued as to his/her thoughts on my 400+ posts...  Maybe they will leave me a comment...

Over and definately "Out" from my little town of Portsmouth, VA

Just another Re-Post...

We are both off today and I was browsing some of my old posts and found this from 2008.

Tom Brokaw has always been one of those people I admired... Funny to see him in 1968 as an occasional on air reporter for NBC, and today... as the trusted information icon he became and since relinquished to Brian Williams:

Funny also, the parallels between the then war, in southeast Asia (Vietnam), and our long lived "Bush"whacking (in Iraq).

One of the first people, a student from the University of Wisconsin, to protest the draft in 1968, and move to Canada, has since become a Canadian citizen, a well respected attorney, and has started to represent some of our young people today, sucked into the Iraq war by talks of WMD, connections to Al Qaeda, and other Bush lies, tricked into fighting another war similar to Vietnam... I know I am oozing secrets of my age and my political preferences here, but this gets better!

The Smothers Brothers (Comedy Hour, a very popular show in 1968), were censored for being too politically incorrect and ended up being cancelled by CBS in 1969. Yet comedians today, specifically people like John Stewart, contribute their passion for their profession to people just like them. I loved the Smothers Brothers, and yes they did come back!

I was not even thirteen yet that April, when I watched Bobby Kennedy announce that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis, TN... My Dad, had decided to take his wife, four sons, a dog, and a cat across country (to move us and show us all the beauties of our "United States") from a very comfortable life in Northern California... We were visiting family near St. Louis, MO when that news came out... The June announcement that year that Kennedy himself was shot and killed in LA, came when I was living with my family in the US Virgin Islands, St. Croix to be more specific. It seems my Father was smarter than I could have possibly known...

The plan for my Dad in 1968, was to find a large sailboat (something in the 60-70 foot range), and take this awkward time to show his "boys", wife, and animals, the world... He wanted to sail around the world with us... We made it to the Caribbean and Bahamas before he passed away in 1979... But that's another story...

Back to 1968... My current "significant other" was not even born yet when these events took place... The democrats self destructed in Chicago of that year... HHHumphrey had no chance after the convention, and we were destined to have a Nixon (who had previously announced he would never seek another public office) in the White House... but then there was George Wallace, from Alabama... Yeah I remember this shit...

Women's equality also became more advanced that year... Miss America 1968 came to be a turning point for women's rights in America, when a live sheep was crowned Miss America before Debra Dene Barnes actually received the bouquet of roses from Bert Parks... Additionally, women trashed their girdles, and bras (mistakenly referred to as burning their bras) along with other articles commonly associated with women.

1968 also marked the lift off, and voyage of Apollo 8, the first manned mission from earth to venture to the "dark side" of the moon... A precursor to the eventual landing the following year.

We are now 40 (42 in 2010) years beyond 1968... I am happy to be here, and even happier to be a part of the next "bra burning" generation or group... We are who we are and we (the GLBT community) must stand up and be visible!

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA in 2010

Eight days and Counting...

Michael and I are taking our first vacation together (alone) after nearly 2 years together. In just eight days, we are driving up the DelMarVa in the new FORD Fusion, (the Eastern Shore to us Virginians) to connect back up with I-95 somewhere in Delaware or New Jersey, or maybe Pennsylvania (way after all the traffic in DC and Baltimore)... Who knows where the Garman will take us... Anyway the ultimate destination is Cape Cod, visiting my brother and his wife again, and cruising up the dune covered coast to Provincetown, MA... Michael has never been, and unlike our Key West jaunt, it will be just he and I. We have reservations at the Boatslip for a couple of nights while we are up that way, but I may also suggest a detour and head over to Rehoboth Beach, in Delaware, depending on how we are feeling at the beginning of the journey (I have never been to Rehoboth, but have heard alot about it)... and we may not make it there this trip either... It's kinda a drive as we go trip, other than our definite stops at my brother/sister-in-law's and P-Town, we have no other critical destinations...

Who remembers the "pina colada" song? "The Dunes on the Cape"? They are so beautiful and just minutes before you hit the outskirts of P-Town driving up Cape...

Ok, I am cooking and Michael seems to think this may be one of those dishes we commonly called "Interesting" when describing my Mom's latest concoction as growing up.... More to come as the trip unveils itself....

Over and "Out" from a Thursday night, in Portsmouth, VA

Repost from June 2008

In case I didn't make my point some two years ago, here is a repost, my feelings and idiology have not changed:

"I don't understand some people. I came out late in my life and when I opened the closet door, I didn't walk out, I FLEW OUT! Tearing the door down on my way. It was one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life and also one of the most honest. I announced to the world that I was gay and proud to be that way.

I have met a number of people, since coming out, that have always been homosexual. What I mean by that, is that they have lived their lives as a homosexual (hopefully I don't need to define that), yet they choose to hide their identity from the rest of the world. That is, they live in something that closely resembles "the closet" and describe themselves as "straight acting" and not into the "gay scene". I have news for these folks. You are not gay! You are just... homosexuals!

If we don't let the world know that we exist, (that we shop at the same supermarkets as they do, that we attend the same religious venues, that we park our car next to theirs at the mall, that we serve their meals to them when dining out, that we are their favorite performers and artists, that we are the people that answer the phone when they call our company for help), then we will never gain their trust and respect. We know who we are, and it's our responsibility to enlighten the rest of the world. It's our responsibility to help them understand that what we want is nothing more than what they want (or in most cases already have). We will never win the battle on equal rights by not allowing them to see us (and know us) as we are every day.

What I say to the "straight acting" homosexuals out there, that are embarrassed or uncomfortable to be gay and proud is: BE PROUD and let someone know... who you really are, and what it is you really want! Unless all you want in your life is just sex behind closed doors without an open caring relationship" (one that includes public offerings of mutual affection) "to go along with it".

I love holding hands without being stared at, I love giving my man a peck on the cheek without being questioned, it's not like we are going to go down on each other on aisle 3 of the supermarket!

"ps: I like a man that is a MAN and if I offend anyone by using the term "straight acting" in the wrong context, I apologize..."

Congratulations to my friends Kelly and Jeff, in Richmond, for getting themselves over the "gay hump" and announcing their engagement and eventual wedding in DC...  Kudos to both of you!

Over and "Out" from my gayborhood in Portsmouth, VA

The Ugly Truth...

OMG! What a hilarious movie... I am off today and just watched Katherine Heigl get off with a pair of vibrating panties on, and a kid on the remote while she was trying to impress her boss and his bosses...

Meanwhile Gerald Butler gets my nod for sexiest Scottsman (I stand corrected) portraying an American...  Watch the trailer (even the Shrek promo is fun) and then rent the movie, trust, you will laugh more than twice!

Over and "Out" from a day off in Portsmouth, VA

Opinions are like...

Based on the "Anonymous" comments on my last post, I have decided to "Butch it up a little" and add something less/more offensive (depending on one's personal beliefs) than my vanity license plates to this one. My friend Frank posted this on FB and I was immediately offended by the choice of words in the title... But then... I listened to the words in the whole video a couple of times... Based on some of the recent "proclamations" by the leader of the Catholic Church... If the (fisherman's) shoe fits, I guess you wear it and others' Opinions of the same!

I could easily "trash" the comments left by a person that is not "man enough" to identify himself, but I made a promise to myself when I started this, four years ago, that all comments are welcome... For good and for bad. There are always three sides to every story, thier's...  mine...  and the real truth.  For someone that was not involved, present, or one of the three sides, all I can say is "Opinions are like..." he or she can finish the line.

Oh, and by the way, Fuck the Mother Fucker!

Over and "Out" from Fucking Portsmouth, VA!

Before and After...

This first picture was of my car's "rear end" when I was with Jim in Toano...  He co-signed on my loan on the 2007 Chevy Equinox I bought before starting the daily 100 mile round trip commute to my new job (in 2007) to Chesapeake...  After splitting up and realizing that his name was "first" on the title and, while I made the payments from day one, I would never receive any DMV notifications (or be allowed to change my tags) or recall info from GM, I decided to return the Equinox to Jim's driveway about 2 years ago...  He was furious, as he was in Hong Kong at the time, and I really didn't care...  It was the last thing that kept me tied to him and I wanted it done...

This is the picture of my new "rear end" (all alone, no one else on the title) 2010 Ford Fusion (Motor Trend car of the year):

Which tag do you like better?

Over and grandfatherly "Out" from a day off in Portsmouth, VA

Football Season?

Ok, yes, I'm a grandfather now...  But that doesn't mean that I've died...  As I have probably mentioned in previous posts, I was NEVER that interested in sports.  My three brothers were, but I just never had the "bug" and rarely understood the attraction...

Now, if I had seen this in my teens, I may have been more interested:

Thanks to my buddy Frank for the link.

Over, "Out", and feeling a bit older today here in Portsmouth, VA 

Tristan Alexander...

Welcome little man:

Oh, and I just realized...  this is my 400th Post...  yeah Me!!! and "My New Life"

Grandparent...

Today, I was blessed with my first grandchild...  Tristan Alexander Rimington, 7:15pm EDT 05/13/2010.

Congratulations to my son Eric, his soon-to-be wife Osiris (who no doubt, did all the hard work), and my first wife Michele...

Over and Extatically "Out" 1,000 miles away from my family in Florida

Hmmmmm... Elena Kagan?

Honestly, I have an opinion about Elena Kagan's pending appointment to the Supreme Court, but not on her sexuality, that's her business not mine.

I really liked that when she ran the Harvard Law School, she banned military recruiters from campus over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but I don't know that that qualifies her in my view. I also take the view that barring real unfitness for office, the president has a right to put his own picks on the High Court. I believed that under (GW, ewww), and I believe that under Obama. I suppose I'll have to read the coverage in the days to come to see if Kagan really strikes me as suitable for the High Court.

The question of her homosexuality, whether she is or isn't gay, and whether or not it matters, has been fiercely argued on the blogosphere in recent days. A Cornell law professor says that Kagan has clearly indicated she believes gay marriage is a political question, not a constititutional one (i.e., there is no constitutional right to gay marriage), but Maggie Gallagher says that's not so (and she cites the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights lobby, as agreeing with her that Kagan supports marriage equality). Ed Whelan notes that Kagan issues a slippery "clarification" of her stance on whether or not gay marriage is constitutionally permissible. I do believe that whichever side of this question one is on, it's a serious issue, and certainly fair (and necessary) to bring up in Kagan's confirmation hearings (sorry, but without the opposition asking, what's the point in hearings?).

But is the question of whether or not she is herself a lesbian fair, or significant? I'm thinking at this point that it is not. I don't believe a person's sexual orientation guides their legal philosophy, or should guide it, though if Kagan believes otherwise, we need to know that. If she's a smart, capable, wise legal scholar who gives all indications of being a good jurist, why do any of us need to know whom she goes to bed with? What I can't make sense of is Andrew Sullivan's apparent position, which has taken shape over a number of posts. If I'm reading him correctly, Sullivan is saying, re: Kagan, that being gay is nothing to be ashamed of, and the White House ought to trumpet Kagan's homosexuality, if indeed she is gay... but to use her homosexuality to criticize her nomination is part of a right-wing "smear" campaign.

Well, no, you can't have it both ways. If she's gay, and her sexuality is relevant to her nomination, then you have to allow people to take whatever position they like on it. You can't say that it's improper to discuss her sexuality if negative conclusions are to be drawn from it. Although I suppose what Sullivan is after is having an actual fight over her homosexuality, because he thinks "don't ask, don't tell" with reference to a nomination in inherently an anti-gay atmosphere and he wants to have a battle that he believes the social conservatives are going to lose.

Anyway, what do you think? Does it matter if Kagan is gay? If so, why?

(taken and edited without permission from an article by:  Rod Dreher on beliefnet.com)

Happy Mothers Day...

A friend of mine posted this on his facebook page and I thought it very appropriate and relevant for today's post here...



Enjoy your day Mom, and all my Mother... ummm... Friends.

Over and "Out" from just another day in Portsmouth, VA

In Loving Memory of Diana Elizabeth Rimington

(Ne: Diana Elizabeth Bundy-Murphy-Duffy-Rimington)

Please remember, Breast cancer does not stop in one's breasts...

Diana, my wife (and best friend) of 20 years, lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009. A mere 9 years after her first diagnosis, ironically during our return to Miami over the Christmas/New Years trip to South Florida in 1999/2000 (aka Y2K). She was so worried, yet wanted to be strong (for her friends in Miami) and her children. I was never fooled by her deception or trickery (she had always been a "pleaser" and will be remembered by all as such)...

We returned to our new home in Virginia (moving there from Miami as a result of a promotion I received) after that "must" visit to Miami (the only condition she had prior to the move was that we would return "home" to Miami for the first Christmas), to find that the lump she found was more severe than originally thought... From the original mammogram (back home in Virginia) to the first surgery was less than 4 weeks. That was a lumpectomy and biopsy of the fiend that eventually took her life.

Her Oncologist and Surgeon later reviewed the results and suggested a partial mastectomy of her left breast, radiation and chemo-therapy. She was aghast, but still Diana... She spent the majority of 2000 doing the radiation thing, working at a local Middle School, doing the chemo thing, taking care of the family, and feeling totally shitty while I was traveling for work 3-5 days a week... So very Strong she was...

Life after 2000 moved on... Diana returned for 3 month, then 6 month check ups, all was good, and life on Holly Briar Court was grand, from pool parties, to Jimmy Buffet parties, to beginning and end of the summer parties, we loved entertaining and the house there was perfect to do just that. She was definitely the "Hostess with the mostess" and learned over the years of my inadequacies and compensated accordingly.

I start this post with a very heavy heart (some 5 years since our separation) and 1 year since her passing... There is more to say, I just can't say it right now...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA 

Never Done... (Chapter Eleven)

As mentioned before, we kids were all enrolled in correspondence schools. We all learned the academic things through these resources. Mind you, this was long before "electronic mail" or home computers. Each lesson was handwritten, mailed (at a local post office), graded by the school, then sent back to us through forwarded mail, to a predetermined general delivery address at a scheduled island port. Lot's of time passed between finishing a test and finding out how you did...

Unlike learning the non-academic lessons, those were experienced immediately and we were graded by our parents or by the finished product swiftly, for better or worse. This included painting and varnishing without leaving brush marks, rebuilding a marine toilet and having it actually work when finished, carpentry work, electrical work, and so forth... We all also learned about "common sense" from our parents. Things like: if it smelled like shit, and felt like shit, it probably WAS shit... Some of the common sense lessons were somewhat less graphic, but the teachings were retained by all of us through the years...

As we grew older we also became more self-reliant. My older brother moved out, and then I got a job running other people's boats for them. Soon the dream became the past, to this day I have never considered our way of living as anything but normal, at least for us. Normal to some is unique and privileged to others; I guess it all depends on the viewpoint...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Who Would Have Thought>?

In just a little over 4 years I've hit yet another milestone...

Never imagined 30,000 people would even be interested, and I do realize many that "clicked" weren't, but that's ok too!!!

Over and "Out" 30,000 hits later, from Portsmouth, VA