Comment Box, Wrapped in Lace

Often times, seeing the hit counter and knowing that someone is reading isn't enough... it's nice to get a comment or two every now and again... kind of like a church collection basket... we like the kind that jingles, but we love the kind that folds.  For me, it's difficult to respond to them... mostly because I am on to something new already... or I don't feel like anyone is reading the posts, let alone the comments as well.  Sometimes I will respond directly to the person if I have their email address... or sometimes I will include my reply in a future post somehow.  This one I received in response to yesterday's wedding pictures and I thought it warranted it's own post...

In response to my previous post about being nervous about what to do with my hair for the wedding, Jaydog said...

"What happened to the suit, spray of baby's breath, and french braid?"

1.  No one could have possibly realized that, with me in a suit and not wearing a hat for the first time since the ice age, history was in the making... and nobody snapped a picture before I changed... much like the elusive Big Foot (with my hair looking only marginally better than it's).

2.  Showing up in a French braid with a spray of baby's breath, although timelessly classic in other applications, would have surely up-ended what was to be the bride's special day and it would have come to a screeching halt almost instantly... no matter how tolerant everyone was of the gays that were trying to represent.

3.  Jesse was doing his part to up-end the bride's special day in various ways:
 
a.  After trying to magically transform a sportsmen's club with dead animals on the walls into a fairytale field of Gerber Daisies (and reaming out his whole family for not banging out the perfect floral table spray (including his linebacker brother))... and after doing the whole bridal party's haircuts and colorings over days prior, he had to do all the up-do's that day as well, so he was tired and a little punchy, putting it mildly.
b.  Speaking of punch, he drank too much the night before and, from what I gathered, all but poured Red Bull and vodka on his choice of breakfast cereal the morning of, so he was not feeling any pain.
c.  What he was feeling, was me.  Being the last to get dressed, and considering his buzz, it was in his dressing room that he choose to profess his undying love to me, like we were on the altar ourselves... meanwhile I just wanted him to get into his tux and shiny shoes and get to the wedding, since it was being held up on the count of us... and although it still wasn't our wedding day, regardless, it was a hard concept for him to grasp, muttering something about they had to wait for the bride and he wasn't ready yet.
d.  During the opening walk down the aisle, he again forgot who the bride was... or at least who he was, as he gave a back-handed, Queen of England wave to the congregation like he was Lady Di, herself, and was blowing me kisses and winking throughout the vows.
e.  During the bridal party's getaway hayride on the way to the reception (don't ask, it's a Washington County thing (out in the sticks, and all))... he took off half of his tux and was flashing people... you can figure out who and with what parts of himself without any further description from me.  The flower girl was crying.  He is mysteriously missing from the picture below, as I would bet good money that he couldn't possibly have stood up long enough to be the one snapping the picture.  It's still a mystery.
f.  During the best man's (him) speech, his brother had to hold him steady and feed him what to say... this only after talking for ten minutes without the mic being on.  Thankfully (for us), he forgot the speech that he wrote down, complete with stage notes (raise glass, exit stage left (which didn't come soon enough)).
g.  With the emotional and physical build-up to the actual event, he had definitely had enough and had a mini-breakdown of his own, somehow in the ladies room (much like the academy award winning Miss Sally Field in Steel Magnolias, during the funeral scene, minus the brown helmet hairdo)... crying uncontrollably... because his Mom was going to pass someday in the next 50-70 years (who, btw... looked timeless in her taupe, scalloped taffetta dress with matching peep-toe, 2" slides (pictured, far left)).
h.  Finally, while wandering about the parking lot in a stupor, he managed to step into a hole up to his knee and fall down.

Although the baby's breath would have been really pretty, I instinctively didn't think that people would go for that sort of thing, so I went with my normal look... middle-aged, thinning, Farrah Fawcett-throw-back, feathery-bullshit, comb-overy, round-brushed, blown-out, back-combed hair-don't, and I pulled it off flawlessly... just sayin'. 

Perhaps this should have been one of those occasions where I just didn't reply to the comment... but no one would have believed it unless it was in writing.  This is why I love the guy though... how could I have possibly been nervous amongst all the clamor that he created (which I choose to believe that he orchestrated solely to make me feel better)?  Do I have my own Bridezilla in the making? 

At the Wedding....

It's Nano Your Business What I'm Listening To...

This was part of a comment on another post, and after the last couple of weeks being back with Jesse, after I read it, it really hits home as to my approach this time around... every word is relevant.  It's from a Pink song...  Cracks in a Crystal Ball...

Sometimes you think everything is wrapped inside a diamond ring
Love just needs a witness and a little forgiveness
And a halo of patience and a less sporadic pace
And I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes


Oh I've felt that fire and I've been burned
But I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned
I wouldn't trade the pain for what I've learned

Falling....

I'm so happy in love

Trudging Along

After a couple of non-productive days with my back being out of whack, I was able to get a few things done today.  I went to look at a small landscaping job for next week... went and picked up some apple tree limbs that Matt hacked off his neighbor's tree... cut out the stump at my Uncle's house back from when I cut the tree down in May... and washed my truck.  Not too shabby.  The only thing I didn't do was try on my suit for the wedding tomorrow and practice up-do's on my hair.  Maybe I'll just put a spray of baby's breath in it and pull it back in a french braid... who knows.  It's been so long since I haven't just put a hat on, I don't even remember what I did.  What I should do is get my passport picture taken while I'm all spiffed up... who knows when it will happen again.

Vacancy: Checking Out and In

Today, I went down to get my stuff out of my sleeping and massage rooms at camp... and fortunately, I have a truck, because it was a lot of shit.  The misconception on my part that I could have just roughed it in a tent this season is obviously something I need to reconcile with my need for all my big girl stuff, like various beverage selections and a fridge, a plethora of much-needed sundries and 600 thread count sheets.  Alas, I am not as much a mountain man as I'd hoped (as further evidenced by my use of the word 'alas').  Equally as task-heavy will be finding somewhere to put all of it at the house.

I feel pretty apathetic to the whole situation at this point.  It was difficult to go down there, pack it all up and bring it back... but the worse part was doing it all with Scott there.  He and I have become great friends and we were each other's support system.  It made being there so much easier.  We will still see each other though... it's about an hour for each of us to the casino.  Had I gone down there to pack up on a weekend when everyone else was there, it would have been harder.  Sadly though, my ability to shelf my emotions is my forte... coupled with my ever-lasting need for change and challenge...  both my motivators and my destructors.  It's proved to be the latter more often than not, uprooting myself just when I make some sort of progress or get close to success... after all, we can't have anything stable like that happening in my life.  Talk about being your own worse enemy...

Camp was an outlet for my creativity, not only in my massage but in self-expression as well.  I really came out of my shell this year in many ways... a 5-inch heel, a boa and a slinky off-the-shoulder number not being one of them though.  Rather, mainly in my social skills and body acceptance.  So while being around all the gayness can be toxic, it's also something that I need... much like getting close enough to a flame for the warmth, but not close enough to get burned.  That's been my life... being close enough. 

I'm not sure why all this happened the way it did.  Maybe I'm supposed to believe in myself, get my license and open a practice here in Pittsburgh.  Maybe I'm not supposed to be in it at all... and maybe growing my landscaping business is what I should be doing.  I hate that any other person would just get a job at Starbucks and not think about it... damn analyzation skills.  I am happy that I am thinking about it though, because something like this in the past would have put me into a shame spiral of depression and emptiness.  At least I'm catching myself... and I'm not even medicated right now.

I am sad about not being a part of the camp family any more.  I am not sad about being part of the bullshit and drama though... and there's been plenty of that lately, especially with the sale of camp going through next week.   I am proud of what I accomplished there and how I treated people.  I have met some great people, most of which I will remain friends with... and now I will concentrate on my actual family and the one that I continue to build with Jesse.  It's odd, but with my weekends from mid-April through November now not being taken up, I feel like the world has opened up and the sky's the limit.  I feel a rebirth, hopefully minus all the placenta, although my hair could use a conditioning.

YUM !! (Hirsute Bears)

Definition of Hirsute:  Hairy, shaggy, bushy...

In gay terms....

Bear:  A hairy, usually older, mostly sporting a belly or muscles... gay male... usually saying things like "Grr" and "Woof"
Cub:  A hairy, usually younger, sometimes sporting a belly... gay male... usually saying things like "where's my bear-like boyfriend?"
Otter:  A hairy, usually younger, thinner... gay male... usually longs to be a cub/bear, but has a high metabolic rate that prevents him from getting a belly.

Bits and Pieces

I haven't exactly been motivated to write lately.  I'm not really depressed, just trying to adjust to my new schedule, or lack thereof.  This week so far has been a little bit of this, a little bit of that, with nothing major happening. 

We went to see the movie Inception last night.  Being 2 hours and 45 minutes long, you hardly felt the time.  The plot was something I've never seen before, with twist after twist.  Taking place mostly in dream worlds, it left the plot open to include anything and go anywhere.  Definitely worth seeing.

There's been a few people over to my Dad's this week, with one person having come back 3 times.  I'm hoping they put an offer in.  Starting out at $178k and now down to $145k, it's like standing on a corner selling a $20 bill for ten bucks... of course it's going to generate interest.  I am slightly jacked off that we're down to this amount, but to get it sold, get my Dad's shit paid off and not have to worry about his finances, I'd practically give it away.

Saturday, I'm going with Jesse to his brother's wedding.  I've met the whole family before, but I'm a little nervous.  Fortunately, it's somewhat of a casual wedding... but it will be the first time in over a year that I've had any type of dress clothes on and haven't worn a hat... and that makes me nervous.  On the other hand, I feel it's a great step forward for our relationship... and I'm happy that things are going so well, to say the least.

Next week, I have my Monday work to do, and then I'm probably leaving Tuesday for Philly for a few days, then going on to Rehoboth Beach for the weekend to stay with Scott and Al.  I was going to go to Orlando or Myrtle Beach, but decided to stay more local.

Yesterday, mid-day, as I was trying to do some research on the massage laws, I developed a pinched nerve in my neck and had to head home, and I wound up sleeping 3 hours because the pain was so intense.  I couldn't even see straight.  I was able to figure out that I'm screwed and need to just study and take the test... I'll be signing up for a review website where I can look at some questions and the logic behind it and hopefully get the test taken... and may be expanding my massage business into Pittsburgh this Fall.  I've spent a lot of time and money honing my skills and I'm not ready to walk away from it.

Tonight, Jesse and I are heading down to the casino to meet up with Scott.  I miss hanging out with him... we were each other's support systems at camp.  Fortunately the casino is halfway between us, so we'll get to keep doing our big night out.  Look buffet, here we come.

Dandy Campers

Pop Goes The Weasel

There's always a flurry of activity going on... it's mind-boggling.  With every minute, shit changes, and pretty radically.  I feel like it's been one thing after another... and that my life is filled with so much drama.  Listing every day activities and changes doesn't help that much.  In the last couple of days, my massage career has gone up in smoke, Julie's dog fell and hit his head and died instantly, there's a bunch of activity on my Dad's house, a friend of mine's mother is in the hospital... it's just a steady influx of change and information.  How does our head not combust?  We endure a lot of shit in our lives.  Does it ever end?

Lump of Coal

This weekend is Christmas in July, so it seems really strange to see all the decorations and lights up in the lush greenery of summer and hearing the music pumped throughout the campground... much like when I spent December in Florida last year.

This place has become a second home to me with my massage business here as well as a great deal of my friends.  All that is coming to an end, however.  The campground is a private, member-only establishment.  As such, I was told that because of that, we did not have to adhere to the West Virginia Massage Board laws, but I found out that that isn't so.  With more and more people pawning themselves off as massage therapists these days, states have put massage boards into place to regulate.  For the 12 or so years that I have been doing massage, Pennsylvania never had any regulation.  They are currently changing that, with the new laws being enacted in November.  West Virginia, where camp is, has had laws in place previously.  The requirements to do massage in the states with regulations are being unified, with a mandatory 500 hours of instruction (I have over 600), transcripts, and passing a national exam as the staple requirements.

Massage is a lot more than just rubbing people.  There are many things that I could do that could seriously hurt and/or kill someone... and people don't realize the severity when they choose to get on someone's table.  The schooling I had to do was 10% 'this is how you rub someone' and 90% anatomy, physiology, pathology, kinesiology and other medical course.  The national exam has a 60% fail rate, and is very difficult, especially for someone that has been out of school for over 12 years.  Even with being in practice all these years, I fix problems with my hands, not my mind... in other words, when there's a problem, I instinctively know what muscle areas are involved... but don't list them by name in my head.  Taking the test will nearly mean learning everything again.

This year, massage has been great for me.  After questioning my interest and abilities and almost not doing it at all this season, I was glad that I did, especially with the positive feedback and result I have been getting.  Now, I am faced with a big decision.  With the test costing $250 a pop, having to re-learn everything and probably having to get registered in both states, I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue it. Sadly, I went into massage when my 22 years of business without a degree shut me out of the business arena... the same thing is happening with massage.

I have had to completely stop doing massages this weekend.  It's up to a $10,000 fine if caught and the establishment can be fined the same.  This all came about when a person here started poking his nose in it since his boyfriend just finished massage school and, after three tries, passed the test fresh out of school.  Having other gripes with the owner, he was looking for a way to get his boyfriend in to work here, but failed to realize that threatening to bring down the whole campground with this (and other) attacks is not making him any friends.  In fact, for this and other stunts, he won't be allowed back next year.  So he kind of fucked himself as well in his going out in a blaze of glory.

Although my business here is done now (even if I went to register and take the test, it would take months, and the season would be over), I'm not mad.  I'm definitely bummed.  I wasn't looking for some special arrangement here, and I'm grateful that he brought it to my attention so I wasn't breaking the law.  Will I miss the money?  Of course.  Will I miss the work that I was accomplishing?  Of course.  But the real issue here is the impact this has on my life.  There's no reason for me to be down here now.  I'm in a staff room and I'm no longer staff, so I have no where to stay.  More importantly, these people here are my family... with a lot of my really good friends being here... coming every weekend, etc, I will miss them.  It also means that I will be in Pittsburgh more, which is great now that I am dating Jesse... but I will be forced to think about what I will do with myself for the other 6 days a week that I have available now beyond my one day a week at the Marriott.  Will I make a greater push for my landscaping business?  Will I get a waitering or bartending job?  I have a lot of options that I have to think about.  And while I don't need to take on another job, too much time on my hands isn't good for me.

It's odd how life giveth and life taketh away.  With Jesse coming back into my life... it was a gift.  With this... it's a big lump of coal from the Grinch.  Life is like a white elephant gift exchange... you never know what you're going to unwrap, and if it's some good shit, someone will most likely take it from you.

It's Nano Your Business What I'm Listening To...

I'm camp-bound Thursday morning... it will be odd this weekend now that Jesse and I are dating again.  I met him at camp and I spent many evenings sitting off by myself, texting him at the dances, wishing he were there with me... and missing him.  Even though we met at camp, he's not really a camp person... he doesn't really know that many people there and I'm usually working most of the time besides.  I hope that he comes down once or twice this season though.

In the period when we weren't together, Jessica Simpson took a stab at a country album (that was excellent, actually) and the majority of the songs seem like they were written for us and our situation.  Rather than dwelling on the angst of those songs, the title song, Do You Know... sung with Dolly Parton, sums up where we are now.

From Icy to Smokin'

Last night, I went to meet up with Julie at the hockey arena near my house... her son, Dan, plays on a team there.  After pointedly being told that the ball is called a puck and it's a period, not an inning... it seemed to go a little better after that. 

I spent the night at Jesse's for the first time in who knows how long... it felt like I was home, with a feeling that I can't even explain in words.  His Chihuahua, Chi Chi, was snuggled up in between us.  She's so tiny and she'll go way down under the covers and you don't see her until morning. I don't know how she doesn't suffocate. 

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, I haven't heard anything more about the so-called offer that was supposed to come in on my Dad's house... and my Dad has discovered The Three Stooges reruns on TV... so it's Stooges, toast, Price is Right, 14 Western movies, then the horseshoe courts, repeat.  Today, I have to do a little bit of work at the Marriott, then a few loads of laundry... and tomorrow, back to camp for a busy weekend of Christmas in July.  It will remind me of when I spent Christmas last year in Florida.  All the tents and buildings will be decorated and there's a grab bag and everything.  Before you know it, the real Christmas will be coming, for as fast as the year is going.  I'm still in the process of planning my vacation for the first week in August... just don't know where I'm going yet.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not ready to go into much detail at this point, but after a long discussion about where we went wrong and fighting unresolved feelings, I got back together with my ex, Jesse, last night.  Suffice to say, I'm very happy today. 

Last Valentine's Day, I posted a valentine, knowing full well that he wouldn't have read it, but it was something that I needed to say...

On the eve of Valentine's Day, when I conjure up thoughts of love in my head and love in my heart, it's for and about you. The connection of our eyes... our lips... and our bodies was one of the strongest things I have felt in my life along with a happiness and passion that has been unmatched.

With all that's happened... all of our differences along the way... and forever having been changed by our experience... I still will always think of you as the one true love in my life... because I have never felt what I felt with you with anyone else... and I doubt I ever will.

Status Update

When I came out in the mid-80's, the outbreak of AIDS had just broke loose and, without a lot of information available, it pushed everyone into their shell, for the most part.  Afraid to do anything with anyone, I turned to more 'solitary' means of 'nick-nick in harvest time, if you know what I mean'.  And while some of my friends were still frolicking about, I was very careful in what I did with other people.  Being the 'boy' in the relationship (rather than the 'girl', if you get my drift), there's less risk in contracting it, but still, engaging in unsafe practices with that as your safety net (as some people do), is not good. 

Everywhere you turned in the gay community, "AIDS = Death" was rammed down your throat with awareness materials and fund raisers, as well as your good friends dying around you, left and right.  I, personally, lost 4 of my closest friends to AIDS.  One in particular, David, was barely recognizable as I sat by his bedside in some run-down hospice in Atlantic City, hours before he passed.  Full of life and energy, he was taken in his early 20's. Imagine being punished by death for trying to love someone. 

Over the years, even with new information and drugs on the market to reverse the previous 'death sentence', I have always been ultra paranoid.  And while I always felt that I was missing out, I am alive.  A few years back, I met a guy that I really fell for deeply.  He was a microbiologist and his life's work was finding a cure for HIV.  I finally felt safe, feeling that this guy knew all there was to know.  About 2 months into it, he went to the doctor for a routine checkup and found out he tested positive for HIV.  I'll never forget him sitting down with me and telling me... I was devastated.  I loved him so much, but my first reaction was of anger for disappointing me and letting me down when he should have known better than to purposely engage in risky behavior. Fortunately, after a series of tests over a 6 month period, I was fine, but our relationship didn't last.  We went to counseling to try to deal with the issues of being a couple where one is positive and the other negative... but the real issue that broke us apart was my anger/disappointment. 

Most people will tell you their status right up front... but I would imagine that it's very hard for that to be the deciding factor on whether someone will love you or not.  You are judged by your status and not who you are inside.  On the flip side, people are just scared and it does present certain challenges in everyday life, like even as simple as cut.  For me, all I can hear is 'AIDS = Death', and despite living healthy lives on medication, I can't reprogram myself to accept that what I expect will happen probably will not.  Afterall, we all die... but I would have a hard time setting myself up for a fall, if even only in my mind.  I'd be consumed with it, especially being so analytical in my head.

The other day at camp, they were doing HIV testing so I got my test done and fortunately, it came back negative, as I suspected it would.  The new tests take 20 minutes to get the results... which is nerve-racking enough.  Previously, it took a week... and let me tell you, that week was hell, reenacting everything you've done with everyone since the last test you took.  It's a true morality wake-up call, with you usually thanking everyone from Liberace to God for a negative result, swearing that you'll never touch another person again.  That doesn't last for long.  Sadly, there's a new generation out there that have HIV parties to engage in unsafe sex just to be able to contract it, get on medication (draining the healthcare system) and then not be able to have to worry about it at all... just to be able to have sex with anyone without worrying about getting it any more... with no conscience about spreading it.  I can't even wrap my head around that at all.

Telling your status for some is as easy as listing your eye and hair color.  The bad part is that the test only goes back beyond the last 2-3 months, so people get their negative results and forget about what they've recently done.  The only true way is to get a test, wait three months and get another one, without doing anything with anyone in that time period.  The results are only as good beyond three months and after you've tested... so five minutes later, if engaging in sex, it's no good anymore.  Might as well throw the slip of paper out along with your future and health.

Kennywood Park

This morning, I tore out of camp early and drove back home, dropped off my stuff and headed to Kennywood Park  to meet up with everyone.  I haven't been there in some time, so I was excited to go.  Only ten minutes outside of Pittsburgh, it's the destination for school districts in the area to plan their annual picnic.  The park itself has been there for over 100 years and is a historical landmark and was built near the old steel mills up the hill from the river (as seen in one of the pics). 

In Pittsburgh, when you hear 'Kennywood's open', it meant one of two things... either the amusement park was open for the season and school was near to end... or, it's slang in Pittsburgh for your pants zipper is down, and you need to pull it up before your junk spews out.  I actually was in L.A. once, and a guy in the airport was walking towards me and before I could think about it, I said "Kennywood's open", and he instinctively checked it and pulled it up.  Coincidentally, he was from Pittsburgh and knew exactly what I meant... it was so funny.

Going back to Kennywood today reminded me of all the traditional things that it meant to go... seeing who could spot the most Kennywood arrow signs on the route to the park...getting Potato Patch fries with cheese... corn dogs... caramel apples... making a paint splatter picture... wearing matching shirts with your friends... seeing what time it is on the Kennywood clock... playing skeeball... feeding litter to the bear in Kiddie Land and getting a drink out of the lions mouth... running into Kenny Kangaroo (and wondering how the guy in the costume could stand to be in there on the hot days)... and riding your favorite rides (Noah's Ark, The Racers, Jack Rabbit, and Thunderbolt... all Pittsburgh traditions).

When we were little, our parents would pick a place in the park to check in periodically... and, pretty much, that's where they sat the whole day.  I used to think how lame they were for just sitting there on a bench when there were so many rides to ride... but, as I get older, it seems my favorite thing to do is get a sip of something cold and sit on a bench and just people watch.  I saw my parents many times today... and myself in recollection of years gone by.

Today was an awesome day.  Even with it being probably 95 degrees and sweating our asses off, we had a great time.  (Double click on any picture for full size)

(left to right: George, Arron, Matthew, Ricky, Anna, Tom, Mike, Tony, (kneeling) Steve and Me)

Unrest

Over the last couple months or so, I've been in this cycle of unsettledness.  And although I am getting things accomplished and I think I'm generally happy with my life, there's something missing... and I wind up feeling like I can't wait to get out of Pittsburgh to go to camp, until I get to camp, and can't wait to go home, only to find that I can't wait to get out of there again.  When I'm home, the situations with my family are there right in my face... when I'm at camp, the issue of being by myself is right in my face.  Different issues, different places... same unrest.  Where do you go when you don't want to be anywhere?  On the other hand, it is a period of growth for me, and while I'm not really making any progress on things that I do want, I am able to come to some conclusions about what I don't.

On pins and needles with the possibility of getting an offer on the house, I feel that to wrap that up will put my mind at ease enough to focus on other things.  In the meantime, I'm planning a vacation for the beginning of August, by myself.  Hopefully, I can clear my head and just get away from everything for a bit.  Now if I can just make up my mind on where to go.

The Unchanging Ways of The Bible/Dr. Laura

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan,

James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

It's Nano Your Business What I'm Listening To...

There's word of an offer possibly coming in on my Dad's house, so I am nervously waiting, holding my breath, praying, crossing everything that will cross, etc.  I left yesterday to go to camp... I couldn't wait to get out of town. Like a watched phone that never rings, I thought it might work out better if I wasn't sitting around waiting.

Scott and I went to the casino again last night and I ended up breaking even for the second time in a row.  We were able to play for a few hours, hit the buffet and look at the yocals... fun times.  Sunday, I'm leaving camp to come back early and meet up with everyone to go to Kennywood, a Pittsburgh landmark/tradition/amusement park.  Today, I came off the mountain for more puppy therapy, a nice luncheon at McDonald's and some Dollar stores.  Woo woo... I'm living large.

Looks like I finally broke 5000 hits on the blog from my American friends alone... I've made some posts about the milestones along the way and, after talking to Scott last night until 4 a.m. under the stars, I've realized that the blog has helped me to have a greater acceptance of myself, my habits, idiosyncrasies, morals and thought processes... and I might actually think that I'm not as messed up as I previously thought.  I happen to put this song randomly into a playlist that Scott and I listened to on the way to the casino last night... there's a line in there around 3:40 that says "ooo, don't let me start loving myself"... I don't think I'm to that point in my self-therapy, but I think I may like me a smidge. I don't think I'd do a long car trip with myself, but short spurts are getting more bearable.  And so, It's Nano your business what I'm listening to...

A Little Bit of Funny