Male Andropause

My doctor told me a few weeks ago, after my annual physical, that I had low testosterone levels.  So.  He put me on hormone replacement therapy.  I had three choices:  an Intra-muscular injection done bi-weekly. a 24 hour patch that I would change every day, or testosterone cream that I would apply to my shoulder and arms.  The only problem with the last option is that woman and children could not touch me when I had the cream on.  It may cause birth-defects and unusual genitalia in children.  After all this info,
I decided on the patch since it seems to be the less risky, less painful option.

Well I am almost a month into the therapy and I think I DO notice a change or two.  I do have more energy and I not quite as depressed as I was.  The only negative side-effect that I have encountered so far is the increase in Sleep Apnea.  I know I should be wearing my CPAP Machine in order to get the best night's sleep possible.  Thing is, if you don't wear it, and wear the patch, you are setting your self up for a whole lot of problems later in life?  Apnea can cause depression and even death.

So, my next step is to get my CPAP machine running.  We have found most of the new parts, many of the old pipes and tanks have gone moldy and most be replaced.  So, wish me luck to see that if next week I wear my patch and my CPAP machine mask, that my life will greatly improve (or I will at least be able create a coherent sentence).

The State of Gay Cinema

Have you tried to rent a good gay movie lately?  Maybe even a romance with a happy ending?  I know I have.  Many times I thought I had found what I was looking for, only to see violence or heartbreak at the end.

What is it about gay independent films that so many of them are so dark?  Hasn't gay life gotten any better in the last twenty years?  Shouldn't someone be reflecting that on film?  There are a few good directors out there who always end their romances with a positive message.  I end up watching their movies over and over sometimes.  My life is dark enough, I don't really need to see it on the screen.

I tried watching Clapham Junction last night.  It is an English made for TV movie, not to be confused with what the networks put on here in America.  There is nudity (hooray) and graphic violence (boooo).  I had seen the list of stars of this film, many from the Merchant/Ivory oeuvre.  Even some from the BBC.  When I read the film was made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Britain, I guess I thought I might see something uplifting.

If this film is a reflection of gay life in London, I won't be going there any time soon.  The most touching scene is between a pedophile and his 14 year old seducer.  The gay bashings shown in the film were actually based on true events.  So much for the enlightened British.  While the production values and acting were superb, the film left me haunted, thinking that anyone could  be capable of such violence.  Especially, as it turns out, a self-loathing gay man.

I think I will stick with the simpler and more romantic films.  Films like Arizona Sky or Regarding Billy.  The acting and production values may not be as strong, but the stories behind them are far more uplifting.  Maybe this is why I don't like reality television.  Maybe it is true... reality bites.

The Gay Dichotomy

For many years now there has been a largely unspoken division among gay men. Many gay men are not comfortable around especially effeminate men, and don't often understand how the transgendered fit into our movement. I have struggled with these issues myself for a long time and I can't say I have come up with any concrete solutions.

Every time I see a Carson Kressley or a Perez Hilton on television, I just want to cringe. They seem to personify the worst gay stereotype there is. Bitchy, queeny, mean and after anything in pants, especially a straight man. Every time I see an ad for any of Rupaul's drag shows, I also cringe. I don't understand why these type of men are so dominant in the mainstream and even the gay media. It's as if all gay men want to be women, or as close as they can get.

I'm not saying anyone at anytime should be harassed or marginalized for being different. I just don't understand why the bitchiness always has to be there. I think that is the thing that turns many gay and straight men off the most. I have many friends who are gentle or effeminate, but very kind at heart. They are often the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. Good and kindhearted people. I don't understand why anyone would ever be bothered or feel threatened by them.

Underlying this whole discussion is the idea that to be gay one is naturally effeminate. And that being masculine is somehow considered straight-acting. This is so far from the truth. I know many effeminate straight guys, and many hyper-masculine gay men. I think the only thing that defines a man as homosexual, is that he wants to have sex or a relationship with another man. Then there are the men who just want the sex, but never the relationship. We call those guys toe-tapping senators from Idaho.

Telling someone who is gay that they have internalized homophobia because they don't like being around bitchy queens is ridiculous. It is not an innate characteristic of gay men to be effeminate. It seems to me to be more of a subcultural expectation. That somehow inside every gay man is a flamer just waiting to be set free. I have no such feelings, and most of the gay men I know don't either.

Then there is the transgendered issue. How the issue of gender identity became a part of the gay rights movement is beyond me. Sexual orientation is a simpler and more readily understood concept. Changing one's gender is far more jarring for most people. Both the one transitioning and those around them. I cannot imagine what the transgendered have to go through. They are treated the worst by society. Even by many gays. Maybe as the gay rights movement was being born and the drag queens were the first to fight back, that got mixed up with the transgendered issue (a totally different concept).

So what are we to make of all this internecine confusion? I think we are in the middle of a subcultural war here in America. Anyone who dares to speak against the gay orthodoxy is often criticized and marginalized. Even though we are fighting for tolerance, we seem intolerant of those who don't tow the party line. There is more than one way to be gay. If most gays don't understand why the media has made the negative gay stereotype the norm again, I have to join in their argument. Maybe that is because straights are only comfortable with what they have seen in the past, and can't grasp the fact that most gay men are just regular guys? Not bitchy, or mean or prissy.

I would like to see a more balanced portrayal of gay men in the gay and mainstream media. The gay joke shorthand always seems to involve some gay man getting in touch with his inner girl. Using the feminine pronoun and calling each other girlfriend. It was fun at first (twenty years ago), but now it seems that everyone believes that's all gay men can and want to be. This kind of thinking diminishes us all.

Click on the title box of this entry to find an interesting link about gays everywhere.

2 Teens Charged In Landry Case - Detroit Local News Story - WDIV Detroit

It seems that every day we hear more and more stories of senseless violence being perpetrated on innocent victims.  Some like to blame it on the economy, but this story can’t be about that.  It makes no sense.

I can see a random robbery or even a car-jacking during hard times.  But to murder someone, for no apparent reason, even when it goes against reason and logic, let alone morality, just makes no sense to me?

I guess I have to believe that drugs were involved, that no one in their right mind would kill someone for no apparent reason.  I don’t know if I believe this because I want to protect my own sanity, or because I really believe it is the truth.  I suppose I don’t want to live in a world where you can be snatched from a Wal-Mart parking lot in the middle of the day, in the suburbs no less.  I even give them my car and everything I can get from my ATM, and still they kill me.  It has to be substance abuse, or a drug deal gone bad.  Please let it be just that.  Sad as that is.  Please let it not be a generation of straight men who are learning to care little for anyone, except themselves.

The heterosexual male is probably one of the most dangerous creatures on our planet today.  If only something can be done about these people.  When they aren’t out killing their wives, girlfriends and exes, they are nabbing folks from parking lots in the middle of the day and killing them.  Or walking into a fitness center to shoot and kill women, just because they can’t get a date.

Maybe one day our society will be run by women and gay men and the only things we might have to fear in the ‘burbs are crimes of fashion and bad taste.

2 Teens Charged In Landry Case - Detroit Local News Story - WDIV Detroit

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Miss California to star in TV ad from conservative group « - Blogs from CNN.com

Prejean, we just met a girl named Prejean.  And who do we have to thank for creating another right-wing saint… Perez Hilton.  The most embarrassing gay ambassador we have.

You know, if he had just taken the high road first, instead of last, it might not have been so bad.  But what the media has ended up with is basically, “bitchy queen attacks poor Christian college girl”.

Now I know we all have different opinions, and she is certainly entitled to hers.  You could tell she was nervous, talking about “in my country we believe in opposite marriage”.  And what country do the rest of us live in?  Shades of Sarah Palin and the Real America flap.  She was asked a pointed political question, as were most of the other contestants.  Trouble is, she knew there was no right answer that would please everyone.  I guess a Miss USA contestant can’t be just for world peace anymore.

My next question is, in what world are we living in where Perez Hilton is chosen as a judge for a Miss USA pageant?  The man is a gossip blogger, and usually a mean one at that.  I did hear one old guy being interviewed about the issue and he said, “what’s he doing judging a contest with a bunch of pretty girls anyway?”  I had to laugh at that too.  How desperate were they for judges???

I hope this one goes the way of Sarah Palin and the Republican majority in Congress.  Into the history books as quickly as possible.

 

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Miss California to star in TV ad from conservative group « - Blogs from CNN.com

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Vermont | News | Advocate.com

I have to tell you, I really did not think this was going to happen.  But, it is the first time a state legislature has approved gay marriage, and by a super majority vote to boot.  It actually brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

Of course, the right wing has already started in on Vermont.  Where formerly they complained endlessly about activist courts, now they are saying that gay marriage should not be approved by those courts or legislatures either.  It should only be approved by a vote of the people.  And the rules just keep on changing to fit their one track minds.

Like we need another vote of “the people” to know that we are unpopular.  That is why Madison designed our three branches of government, in order to protect unpopular causes or groups from the tyranny of the majority.  If you took a poll and asked most Americans where Iraq was on the map, most couldn’t even find it.  Ask them about the Constitution and they know even less.  Yea, I want these folks voting on my life.

Our job now is to keep the ball rolling, at least in New England.  We shall see what happens next.  Stay tuned…

Same-Sex Marriage Legalized in Vermont  | News | Advocate.com

Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban - CNN.com

Now why can’t the California Supreme Court use the same logic and say that their ban violates the equal protection clause of their constitution as well?  And this was a unanimous vote in Iowa.  A proudly open-minded mid-western state.  God I hope this sticks.

Iowa high court strikes down same-sex marriage ban - CNN.com

Vermont House OKs gay marriage | News Story on 365gay.com

I know they needed 100 votes to get a veto proof majority, and they only got 95.  But some members of the state house said they would vote in favor of same sex marriage if it came down to getting it past the governor’s veto.

And how did Vermont end up with a Republican governor when the dems have such a large majority in both state houses?  And if they had to have a Republican governor, you think being from Vermont he would at least be a moderate.

It should be very interesting to see how this turns out.

Vermont House OKs gay marriage | News Story on 365gay.com

On Making it to the Promised Land

Well folks, I finally made it to retirement.  As of last Thursday, I am a free man.  No more having to get up in the morning, having to be someplace every single day.  I am so happy to have that burden lifted off my shoulders.

Now I get to start living what I like to call my real life.  That would include facing the fact that my dog was just diagnosed with diabetes.  Feeding her and medicating her on a regular schedule will now be my new full time job.  I also have many, many projects to start inside my house, and when Spring actually arrives (it is currently snowing outside), I have even more projects to work on outside.

So, what joy is this you say?  Going from one plate full of responsibilities to another?  Well, just knowing that my responsibilities are only going to be about me and my household seems to make it all worthwhile.  I know that some day I will be able to travel and take it easy, but right now I just want to get my house in order and take it from there.

As I watch the local and national news I have to wonder about the world that I've retired into.  I know that nothing in life is guaranteed (not even another tomorrow), but I still want to give it all my best shot.  So here's hoping for a brighter tomorrow for all of us.

How Many Ways to be Gay???

I tried to follow the Ted Haggard story last week, but I got lost somewhere in the middle of Oprah. Ted says he is a heterosexual man with homosexual attachments. He states that he is not gay. It all made me think of some of the other famous cases of this type. Larry Craig for example. He also proclaimed loudly that he was not gay.

The gays are attacking saying "come out of the closet", the straights are saying he needs to seek help and forgiveness. Me, I find myself somewhere in the middle, dazed and confused.

Kinsey and his Scale tell us that most of us fall somewhere in between totally straight and totally gay. That sexuality is fluid and can change over time. I have to say that that sounds closest to the truth of anything I have heard. I do believe that some men can be physically attracted to other men, but find it impossible to even consider a romantic attachment. The attraction is strictly physical, they see it as their dirty little secret, rather like wanting to be spanked. Not something that defines them outside of the bedroom.

As to how these men ended up this way, there are many roads they may have followed. The most common road seems to be when they are brought up in a very strict religious household. As they become adults they do not see through all they have been taught, but rather buy into it with great alacrity. What better way to hide than to join the enemy camp. This is how we get our Larry Craigs and Ted Haggards. Fear can be a powerful tool for development. Even on Generation X and Y, it still seems to be working that way. How incredibly sad.

Imagine having your heart pull you one way, and your sex drive pull you another. How sad for you, and for the family you create. More often than not, the wife is the husband's fiercest defender. She too becomes victim to this battle between how he sees himself, and who he really is.

For men of the baby boom generation, I think it is too late to try and save them from themselves. They have spent 50 or 60 years seeing themselves as a flawed heterosexual, rather than as a gay or bisexual man. Trying to redefine yourself at that age requires great strength of character, strength that most men don't possess. Especially not after they have built a life around this duality.

This looks like one of those issues that will never resolve itself. We can only hope that this type of behavior will diminish as the generations pass, and society becomes more enlightened. I want to believe in a tomorrow where kids can grow up to be themselves, so long as what they are does not harm anyone (Jeffery Dahmer needed to be a little less himself). Here's hoping for fewer Teds and Larrys in our future.

We're On Our Way

I am writing this from very early in the first Obama administration. All hopes that he can get us out of all the messes we are in are still high. His wish to rid ourselves of the partisan rancor we have lived with since Reagan is still a possibility. That is, unless you listen to the right-wing radio commentators. They would surely go out of business if we all started to move to the middle and didn't want to hear their extreme views any more.

I know there will always be ideologues, and that is a good thing. They help us to change and to grow. That is until their new ideas become old ones, and they still have not been accepted. Trouble is, they never seem to know when that is. Living in their own little bubble doesn't give them any kind of perspective at all. Like Bush and Cheney leaving office and telling us that every thing they did was fine (especially Cheney). I can't wait to see what history has to say about them. Already they are saying that Cheney was pulling all the strings in the first term. It wasn't until Cheney's henchmen went to visit AG Ashcroft in the hospital that Bush found out what was going on behind his back.

Enough of the past. We must now look to the future, to the promise of another day. We can end the wars in the middle-east. We can find a middle ground with North Korea. We may even be able to find a way to trade fairly with China. Obama is right, in that he can not do this alone. He will need all of us, all of our support, to get through these tough times. And he does have a plan, which is more than I can say for Bush/Cheney.

So, as this new administration begins the difficult tasks ahead, let's keep them all in our hearts and minds, and in our prayers. Yes we can...

Brave New World

It seems that, once again, America has become the land of possibilities. Anyone can succeed, no matter how great the odds. So long as they try.

Along with the tidal wave of change that came in on November 4, 2008, a setback was dealt to gay people all over the country. What a mixed message gays and lesbians recieved. We Shall Overcome, but not you people.

The most ironic thing in all this was Prop 8 in California. It turns out that Blacks and Hispanics, who turned out big time for Obama, voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8. Among Blacks it was 69%for the proposition that all men aren't created equal, and you people just aren't as equal as the rest of us. The oppressed, who you think would understand the power of predjudice, became the oppressor. Let's hope this is the not the Brave New World we will be living in.

Once I get past the four states that voted to keep gays as second or third class citizens, I start thinking of all the changes that will be taking place in Washington. The Contitution will be coming back into favor, the Supreme Court may be set right (by that I mean more moderates), and we may even get some of our civil liberties back. I still have to pinch myself to make sure it is all real.

Congratulations America, we have made it into a new era. There is still hope that we will be the dominant power on earth in the 21st century, just as we were in the 20th.

Finally, Crunch Time

So, here we are, just over two weeks from election day, and things are tightening up in the polls.  I have to admit that this presidential race has been way too long (twenty months).  I hope they don't start the next election cycle next year.  They need to keep it focused on the election year itself.

It has been an unusual race this time.  I think thanks to both McCain and Obama, the culture wars are on the sidelines.  Not much has been made of this in the media, and that is such a relief.  Especially when you consider the gay marriage votes coming up in California and Mass.  This leaves us free to focus more on the economy.  Or in McCain's case, anything from Bill Ayers to Joe the Plumber.  For all the talk about tactics versus strategy, McCain keeps changing his tactics with the wind (suspending his campaign, attack ads, Joe) without really having any strategy.  I only hope he maintains this lack of strategy until November 4th.

I watched John and Barack at the Al Smith Memorial Dinner in NYC last Thursday.  McCain was clearly the winner there, being both funny and touching.  When he started talking about Barack's place in history, etc. he had me tearing  up.  That is the classy John McCain I remember from years past.  The one who spoke from his heart and did what he really thought was right.  If that man had been visible during the debates, the race would be much tighter now.

Barack did a good job too, he just didn't knock it out of the park like McCain did.  And this was all in front of a group of Manhattan Democrats.  It was nice to see a different side of both of them.

If Senator Obama does win, to me anyway, it will be a sign that the country has turned a corner.  That the years of racism and division are going to be behind us, and that we can look to a brighter future where we can all work together to become one America again.

From Russia, With Love

So those dirty commies are at it again. But I thought Ronald Reagan saved us from all that? Didn't he tell someone they needed to tear down that wall. He was sooo forceful.

I can't believe even Bush did not see this coming. Putin is so clearly KGB 2.0 that he could play a commie in a comic book. As for the "President" of Russia, well he could play a nice business executive type, in a Nancy Drew mystery. Of course when Bush heard they invaded Georgia, he probably asked if Atlanta was burning.

Barack didn't handle this too well either. He needs to get a little more forceful when it comes to something this clear cut. He is just handing the whole Georgian thing over to McBush. It's nice to look all friendly and presidential with our allies, but you gotta kick some bad-guy butt sometimes too (at least verbally).

I hope Georgia makes it back in one piece. We need their pipelines and their fossil fuels (and their ports). I'm surprised Bush hasn't at least sent some ships into the Black Sea. I'm sure they would fit through the straits and the Sea of Marmara (some of them). We need to let the Russians know that they are being watched. Their arrogance cannot go unchecked. Now is a good time to actually use some cowboy diplomacy, not when you are attacking a small nation run by a two-bit dictator.

Enough ranting, I'm sure most Americans are as fed-up as I am. We all thought we were past the cold war, and now, here it is again. What other messes can Mr. Bush bring our way in his last few months in office. When I think of what the world was like eight years ago, and what a mess it is now, I could just spit (if it wasn't so messy). Lord have mercy on the Georgians and deliver us from this fool soon.

Becoming An Obama Nation

I know we haven't really talked much about the current political situation as regards the presidential race. I was for Hillary, and I am now switching over to Obama. It is not that I ever disliked him, it's just that there is so much covert racism in the country, that he steps out of the box with that burden tied to his leg.

I did enjoy watching him overseas this past week. He went toe-to-toe with world leaders and came out looking like a rock star. Not too bad for the junior senator from Illinois. Pissed McCain off to no end. He couldn't even get six people to come together to hear him speak at a German restaurant in Columbus. It is not that he is a bad guy, it is just that the independent John McCain we all loved died when he began running for president. He had to cater to his base, and that just turned me off right there. As John Stewart put it, he has gone over to the dark side.

I came up with a great idea for an ad from MoveOn.org. They could show the past eight years worth of political and international blunders from the Bush White House, then show the future with another Republican in the White House. Then call that twelve year period the McBush presidency. Then say, don't vote for more McBush, vote for a change in leadership, vote Obama. Someone has proably already thought of this and I just haven't been paying attention. I am trying to keep up.

I see the price of gas is staying below $4 a gallon this week. At least here in southeast Michigan. I hope this continues for a while. The whole country (and the world) could use a break right now. I know that China and India subsidize the price of gasoline in their countries, so the price of oil hasn't really hit the common folk there yet. But everywhere else in the world, it is getting increasingly more difficult to live. In Europe, the price of gasoline is twice what it is here. Not that that is new, but $9 a gallon for gas makes me feel like I'm getting a bargain over here. They do pay a lot more in tax per gallon than we do, but boy-oh-boy, that's a lot of money for a gallon of gas.

We have less than 100 days until the election and I'm sure it is going to be a roller coaster ride all the way.

The State of the Nation

I just can't believe that we have come to this. $4.25 for gallon of gas, groceries and even staple items up 20%, floods and wildfires everywhere. In 2000, before we elected King George II, could any of us have imagined the world we live in today?

Yes, I know the terrorists changed a lot of our world, but it was our blunder in Iraq, our taking our eye off the ball and away from the terrorists, that has lead to some of this mess (see high oil prices, food prices). Then there is global warming, which the Bush White House has only recently acknowledged as being real, that has caused other problems. Then, what is left of our dear old Constitution, after this president promised to preserve, protect and defend it. When will we get America back?

Worst housing slump since World War II!?!? Something even my parents could never have imagined in their lifetime. We thought that America was past all this, that things could only get better. Then we put a moron in the White House, and he brought in some less than talented cronies, and here we are, almost eight years later. What a mess.

They only good news I have seen lately is the marriage thing in California, and now maybe even Mass. will allow out of state folks to marry. That sounds like a nice summer vacation, drive to Boston, get married, visit New England. Of course I could just go across the river to Windsor and get married, but I guess I prefer an American license over a Canadian one.

I hope I didn't rant too long. Some days I just wake up and cannot believe the mess we are in. I keep looking for Alice in this crazy, upside-down world.

I think this photo may illustrate how we are all feeling lately, like we've been kissed by a bus.

On Getting On

No, this is not a picture of me. Not even twenty years ago. I just wanted to get everyone's attention. I hope it worked.

I was thinking (that happens every now and then) about this whole aging thing. It hit me when I turned forty, then really hit me when I turned fifty. Now that I have had so many friends and loved ones die of cancer and other diseases, it has knocked me for a loop. These people were all around my age. I always thought they would be around forever (just like me-I hope). Now I have to go on without them. It all leaves me feeling totally confused and kind of empty inside.

I see my parents, who are both turning 83 this year, talking about having to go to so many funerals all the time. Yet, they never seem to lose their enthusiasm for tomorrow. I don't know how they can look at a news story about what may happen in the next ten years, and not think that they may not be here then. I can only hope that I will be that way when I am their age. I know that worrying about tomorrow can become a full time job for some seniors, and I don't want to be one of them. Besides, it does absolutely no good to worry about it. We all need to plan for the future, but not obsess about our own mortality.

Now if I can only live by these words, not just say them. If I can just keep singing a song from the Rent soundtrack, No Day But Today. If I can stay focused on today, just getting through, maybe I will make it to a happy retirement (260 days and counting).

Here I Am Again

Let me reintroduce myself.  It has been a while since my last post.

How to make myself sound interesting, and not bitter. That is my first goal. It is a tough job, but I think I can do it.

I am a man born in the middle of the baby boom years, looking forward to retirement and all the peace and quiet that I hope it will bring. I don't have any illusions that it will really be the golden years, but I have hopes of days spent only doing things that I like to do. What a concept.

I also want to do more with my life. I find the greatest joy and fulfillment I get is when I do something for other people. Maybe it is the strong Lutheran upbringing that makes me want to give back to society. Maybe it is being a child of the sixties. That was an era when all right-thinking men and women wanted to do nothing but make the world a better place (and maybe get high).

I don't necessarily expect to do great things, but I would like to do good things (or good works as they are sometimes called). Now I just have to decide what these good things should be. If you have any ideas for me, feel free to post them in the comments section.

I can't save the world in a day, but I can sure try to do my little bit every day. Maybe I'll volunteer at a shelter or at the Salvation Army? Maybe I will work at the local community center??? Maybe I could even work on one of the presidential campaigns? So many choices.

Maybe I can decide all this tomorrow. That sounds like my best idea yet!

 

(I had to update from black text so this could be read with the new Blogger template)

No Words of Comfort

I have been feeling better of late, not as depressed as I had been in the past. Usually winter is the worst time of the year for me, but somehow I don't feel the gloom right now.

I do feel sad, however. Sad at the loss of two members of the same family in one week. Sad at two funerals I had to attend. Sad at the loss of one so talented as Heath Ledger, gone much too soon.

As I stood in the funeral home, I kept thinking, I wish I knew what to say. What words of comfort could I possibly give to anyone who has just lost her husband and her mother, his father and his grandmother... and to all the others who loved them? It is at times like this that we are most at a loss for words. Maybe it is because we cannot even fathom all that we are seeing.

What does is mean to see that body lying in the casket? Is that the person we knew and loved? Perhaps it is just the vessel that tied them to this place, and to us? How can we reach out and help others with things we can't even comprehend ourselves?

As I sat and listened to the words the preacher had to say, I tried my best to keep my emotions in check. Tried to show a comforting face to those around me, those in mourning. In the end, I think that's all we can offer them. Our presence, there, in that time and place. Perhaps the grieving take solace in the presence of all those who knew and loved the one they lost. Take comfort in knowing that they are not alone in this, no matter how empty they may feel inside.

The circle of life is all I can see right now. I see his son standing before us, looking so much like him. I see my friend living on through him. That is all I can comprehend. That is all I know that is real and understandable.

Happy Holidays

So the holidays are almost here. Cable is filled with Christmas classic (and not so classic) movies. CNN talks of nothing but the next election (this one started way too early), and I have only a few days left before my Christmas break.

Big snow storm predicted for southeast Michigan this weekend. They predicted a big snow and ice storm for last weekend. That never happened here. Ended up further south in the plain states. I hope this weekend's storm stays away until next weekend. Then I won't have to worry about driving to work.

I tried watching the debates in Iowa this week. I am just so weary of this campaign. By the time the conventions are here I am sure I will be comatose. It is good to see that America still sees the Republicans for what they are. Mostly hypocrites who have turned to their base and forgotten everyone else. An entire generation has grown up thinking that the word Christian means: fundamentalist, evangelical, right wing kook. Could be why many kids today aren't that interested in religion.

I am hoping that the Democrats will bring some real Christians into their campaigns. Those who care about those less fortunate and want to help the helpless. Much like Jesus did. These Christians aren't obsessed with gays and politics. Imagine that.

It is at this festive time of year that we are most concerned about those in need. It has been this way for hundreds of years. Now is the time of year when we should most live our faith. If we see ourselves as an extension of God, than we should help all that we can. I don't know of anything that can bring greater joy than helping others.

I wish you and yours all the best, no matter what holiday you may be celebrating this time of year.