All I can say is WOW!

A couple of days ago I joined and added a widget on my site to Best Male Blogs.  Between the exposure my blog has received as Bossy's Featured Gay, some other sites (including Guys Like Me), and this new link, I have had over a hundred and fifty hits a day WOW...  I hope people are getting something out of my entries (posted since 2006), not just looking for pictures of naked men (not that I mind those, you unfortunately won't find them here).

"My New Life" is the continuing adventures of a once married (to a woman) man with children, coming OUT in America.

As a finale to Gay Pride month, I am re-posting something from a couple of years ago that I am somewhat proud of. Oddly the story itself has not changed with time...  I Yam, who I Yam.  Enjoy, even if you have read it before...

My "Living Out" post from June 2008:

We all wonder at times why we are, what we are, and who we are. I have always considered teaching to be one of the more honorable professions and even considered going back to school to pick up a teaching degree. That said, it never happened.

What I did realize not too long ago, is that I am teaching every day. Through my openness, compassion, and ability to articulate, I teach my fellow humans every day about being gay. I teach not tolerance, but acceptance. Recently an associate of mine came to me and said "Tom, I just don't get it" referring to being gay and what it is that we wanted. After considering the circumstances, I used the best analogy I could. This was a middle aged black man making the statement. My response centered around the equal rights movement of the 60's. I explained that all "we" wanted was what everyone else wants. The right to love whomever we choose, the right to make binding agreements that are recognized and honored by all, and acceptance by our fellow humans. I likened our plight to that of his own, and reminded him that it wasn't long ago that African Americans were treated with a similar stigma.

I looked at him and said "I don't expect you to understand why it is that I can fall in love with another man. Just like you should not expect me to understand what it is like to be a person of color. Regardless of our inability to feel each others' feelings, we need to accept each other and respect those differences to make life work in this world". I was so proud of myself, and still am. I have no idea where the words came from, but he "Got IT", shook my hand and told me what a pleasure it was to know me... What else could I possibly need or want?

Over and once again "Out" from the end of June in Portsmouth, VA

Rehoboth Guest House ...

If anyone reading this is considering visiting Ocean City, MD and/or Rehoboth Beach, DE (about 15 minutes north of Ocean City), Michael and I cannot recommend more highly the Rehoboth Guest House.  We showed up a little before the "official" check-in time (as the drive up from Portsmouth took less time than expected).  We found our documents and information on a table in the living room of this beautiful old home...  Shortly afterwards, before we got our bags out of our double-parked car, Logan (our favorite employee of the stay) showed up to help with the check-in process, later we met Tom, the manager, who was also quite accommodating and friendly.  With most rooms you get complimentary parking (about 2 blocks away) which, in Rehoboth is a "major deal". Parking is a big issue in the area, as I hear it is in Ocean City as well... We never moved the car after we checked in, as most places are within close walking distance (with the exception of the tax-free Outlet Shops which are a few miles away)...

We stayed on the 3rd floor, the first and second floors are less expensive but, they do not have a private bath (there is/are one or two shared baths on those floors)...  Michael and I both enjoy our private "potty time" and sharing is not fun in our case...  The room had a queen sized bed, was nicely decorated (very light and airy), had the modest private bath, yet NO closets...  Make sure all the clothes you take are comfortable being folded and stowed in your suitcase or a dresser drawer...

Moving on...  Rehoboth is one of the most unique places I have ever stayed/visited as an "out" gay man.  The main drag through town, and to the beach, is Rehoboth Avenue... Families (including children, Moms, Dads, grandparents, etc, etc... abound).  Yet, just one block over on Baltimore Avenue,  is like the "Castro" in San Francisco.  The families (or at least some of them) are crossing over onto our "family" street and, for the most part, are enjoying themselves immensely. The Rehoboth Guest House is just one more block over on Maryland Avenue...  I have lived in Miami, been to Key West, been to Provincetown, I have been to many a "gay" destination and I am very impressed with the residents and visitors of Rehoboth and their acceptance of the diverse guests that visit this beautiful town...

We had a great time as our week progressed, onto Cape Cod, and into Provincetown, however if your plans call for some place closer to a Mid-Atlantic destination and you are comfortable with a great mix of people, visit Rehoboth and stay for more than the two days we did...  We are already planning a return trip for a longer stay.

Next review (maybe tomorrow) is on the Boatslip Resort in Provincetown, MA

Over and most totally "Out" from back home in Portsmouth, VA

Another Reason to be PROUD...

It's GLBT Pride month. That makes it the perfect time to talk to family and friends about why marriage matters to gay and lesbian couples (as it once did to inter-racial couples). To get you started, Freedom to Marry has created a short video that touches on important issues like the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA for those that may have heard of the acronym and are not familiar with what it stands for) and anti-gay measures like California's Prop 8.

To me and my blog posts, June and GLBT Pride month is the best opportunity to share my thoughts with my family and (non-GLBT) friends...  It shouldn't matter to anyone (other than the person I want to marry), who I marry or want to marry... Visit the Freedom to Marry site, and sign the pledge (no donation is necessary or required, and if you find out otherwise, please let me know)...

Over and "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

PS: I have reset some of my margins and settings to accommodate a larger video feed, let me know if it slows things down too much...

BP Reacts to a major Coffee Spill...

This is one of the reasons I love my niece Jessica... I received an email from her today with nothing more than a link to this:

Can you imagine what could happen if this coffee spill was... say... an offshore oil rig?  How about an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, or perhaps off the coast of (ENTER YOUR STATE'S NAME HERE)???

Thanks Jess!

Over and "Out" from back home in Portsmouth, VA

There really is a "Dick Dock" in P-Town...

I read a book a few years ago "The Men from the Boys" about a guy that lived and worked in Provincetown. While the perception I got from reading this book was more of anonymous sex in a remote place called the Dick Dock, I found out otherwise in our trip here to P-Town this week... 

The "Dick Dock" actually exists and is right (2 floors) below our room here at the Boatslip Resort.  What a gay hoot that is... 

Anyway, I pen this sitting on the 2nd floor balcony of our room waiting patiently for the 4pm Tea Dance to start...  It is 4:21pm as I type this...  I took pictures of the pool deck earlier today and will take more after the "hordes" of gay men show for this event (that I missed 2 years ago up here)...  We'll see how it plays out.

More to post upon our return to Portsmouth

Over and "Out" from Provincetown, MA

Greetings from Cape Cod...

The drive up the Eastern Shore was uneventful...  The short stay in Rehoboth Beach was awesome... We made it in less than four hours and checked in to the Rehoboth Guest House to a very warm and personable welcome.. I will write more about the stay there as time permits, but it is a "must stay" location and we will return...

The drive up to the cape was long but not bad, we are "coffeed" up and on our way out to explore Hyannis before heading up to Provincetown this afternoon...

Over and "Out" from Cape Cod

I can see your House from here (part 2)...

In April of 2007, I referenced a joke I once heard (and actually still remember, despite my short term memory loss due to OLD AGE)...

If you are a "good Christian" you may find offense, and I strongly encourage you to NOT read any further. Otherwise here it goes:

Turn back your mind-clock almost 2,000 years (or open your reference text to John 19:17)...

Jesus has walked through the streets of Jerusalem, bearing his own crucifixion cross, has exited the walls of the city to the unknown site known today as the Calvary...

The Romans have affixed Jesus to the cross (the means, we all have heard) and have erected the cross (with Jesus attached) to an upright position (again, in a way we are all familiar with)...

Ok, so Jesus is on the cross with the 3 Marys beneath him (apparently none of his disciples were able to attend, based on the records of fact)... This also changes the joke as I had originally heard it. I will take my artistic/literary license to alter the attendees roles based on my Wikipedia findings...

So, once again, Jesus is on the cross... he has been there for quite some time, and calls down to one of the Roman Centurions (let's call him John) who Jesus knew from his dealings with the political connections he had in Jerusalem... He says "John can you hear me?" several times before John responds: "Yes I hear you"... Jesus says to John "I need to tell you something" and John, the Roman guard (flabbergasted) says "Ok tell me"... Jesus says to him "No, you need to come up here so I can tell you". Again, John is taken aback and says "There is no way for me to get up there other than walking down this knoll and getting a ladder"... Jesus says "Ok, I'll wait"...

John walks back through the walls of the city, gets a ladder from his home, and treks back up the hill to where Jesus is coming closer and closer to death.

John props the ladder up to the crucifixion cross and starts his climb up. As he ascends, he hears Jesus say "Hurry John, I have something important to tell you"... The cross itself is not that stable in its upright position, but John tries to climb the ladder regardless, adjusting his balance as to not fall... As he gets closer to Jesus, he hears him gasping for air and asks "What is it you need to tell me?" Jesus responds in barely a whisper "Please come closer so I can tell you"...

John makes it to the top of his ladder, face to face with Jesus, and asks "What is it that you need to tell me?"... By this point Jesus is experiencing the transformation from life to death, and can barely speak. He asks John to come closer so he can whisper his message in John's ear. John obliges and leans in (despite the awkwardness of his ladder's balance) to hear what Jesus has to say...

Jesus says again: "John, I have to tell you something"... John tells Jesus he is "right here" and asks again what it is that Jesus needs to tell him... Jesus takes a deep, strained, breath before responding finally:

"John, I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE"

Over and embarrassingly "Out" from Portsmouth, VA

Will Young... Just another Brother

I never remembered him on American Idol until they re-introduced him this year



There are lots of links on this video on YouTube, and guess what? He is "Family" too... Make sure you listen and buy his recordings...

Over and "Out" from my Little place in Portsmouth, VA

It's Official Now, It's Gay Pride Month...

It's time for more than proclamations...  It's time for more than promises...  It's time to live up to the words used during and since we all helped get you elected, Mr. President...

This from the White House Press Office:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 28, 2010 Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month

As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.

LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national life. From business leaders and professors to athletes and first responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in every discipline. They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our friends and neighbors. Across my Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving at every level. Thanks to those who came before us the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.

My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation. We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides life saving medical services and support to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban. I also signed a Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical decisions.

In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD also announced the first ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.

Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans. That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits. We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.

As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws its strength from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole. By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the further advancement of liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

Not that we needed an official proclamation to know that June is Pride Month (it has been since the 80's at least), but it's always nice to know that we have an administration that recognizes it too...

Over and "Out" five days before vacation, here in Portsmouth, VA