Pen and Ink

Mother Nature's birthday present.

Today's my birthday.

To celebrate, I took the week off to just relax and to catch up on things. The doctor, the dermatologist, the opthamologist.

It was the last appointment that presented Mother Nature's birthday gift to me. Glasses. I'm officially nearsighted, so I need lenses for driving. Oh, and I also got another mild pair of glasses for reading.

Well, I guess I should look on the brightside. Maybe now I'll be able to read the signs to find the right exit off the highway.

Much ado about nada.

STORM OF THE CENTURY!  MILLIONS DIE! SOUTH FLORIDA LEFT POWERLESS FOR MONTHS ON END!

OK. Maybe I'm getting carried away.

But our South Florida newscasters were all geared up for big-time news excitement earlier this week, as Tropical Storm Ernesto seemed poised to bear down on the state with a vengence.

Yes, I know. We have to prepare for the worst. Put up storm shutters. Buy batteries and gas and go to the ATM. And procure enough food to last until the dawn of the next millenium. But it all seemed like such hype by our esteemed news outlets.

The storm was supposed to make its presence known sometime during the day on Tuesday and last into the night. So the newscasters and weather reporters took to the airwaves sometime on Monday.

I think I turned on the TV around 5-ish on Monday to see what was going on. Should I put up the shutters or what? (I had already filled my gas tank Sunday night because, well, I needed gas to get to work.)

After checking out the weather report on Channel 10 (our local ABC affiliate), I kept the TV on while I went about my business around the house, waiting for Charlie Gibson to come on with the real news of the day. But alas, Charie was not to be found.  There sat Dwight Lauderdale, Laurie Jennings and Don Noe, yammering on and on and on about the storm.

For what? It was clear from the start that this was just a tropical storm and really wasn't likely to become much of a hurricane. It was no big surprise when Dwight and Laurie, the next night around 7 p.m., rather sheepishly turned the station -- and its viewers -- back over to regular programming because Ernesto turned out to be a "dud." That was their word.  A dud.

But by that time, the hype had done its thing. Bernardo, John, Abby (my "niece" and B's delightful miniature schauzer) and I were all settled in to ride out the storm together and to have "Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Night," watch a couple of videos (Leaving Metropolis and The Family Stone) and feast on chocolate white-chocolate chip cookies.

Yes, I know we have to be prepared. But it just seems to me that the news media made this storm more of an event than it ever really was.

But thanks Dwight and Laurie, nonetheless, for giving me a good excuse to make cookies.  Wait. Have I ever needed an excuse?

Ah, vacation...almost.

I'm in vacation mode. Big time.  I just have to get through work on Monday and then I'm off for a week!

And boy, do I need it.

Right now, I'm one cranky bitch. Everything -- and I mean everything -- about work is pissing me off. It's not even worth going into it because, for one, who really cares? Plus it will only serve to get me wired up again. It's Saturday, so I don't really want to work myself up into a tizzy.

The other thing that's getting my panties in a twist is the bizarre nature of the State of Florida and its people. I'm not going into that right now, as it will be the subject of a post in the next day or so. But let's leave it as I have a touch of homesickness for Boston.

So, back to the topic at hand: my vacation.

I'm not going anywhere. I am going to enjoy a blissful week at home. And while I don't like to plan a whole lot for my "me" time, I have three major priorities (in no specific order):

1. Health -- doctor, dermatologist, dentist, and eye doctor (the last is going to yield Mother Nature's cruel birthday gift to me next week). I'm also going to spend time working out, bike riding, and the like, because I've gained 20 pounds in the last year and I'm not too pleased. (Plus I'm going to Maine next month and will have to get naked in the hottub with friends -- can't do it looking like this!) Last, but not least, I'm treating myself to a 90-minute massage...aaaaahhhhhh.

2. Writing -- I've been so busy at work, I haven't had the time to write much this week. That should change next week as I hope to be quite prolific.

3. Friends -- My 44th birthday is Thursday, so I plan on spending quality time with my friends. John of course, and on Tuesday, a evening in South Beach with Cary and Brian -- replete with plenty of frozen cosmos at Score. We'll be celebrating Brian's birthday as well, and his fabulous new job. And, sadly, this coming week is Bernardo's last as a resident of Florida, so we'll be spending several evenings together.

Other stuff will creep in, to be sure, but those are my plans. This weekend, while not technically part of my vacation, will be devoted to chores and house-y things, so they won't interrupt my "me" time.

I can't wait!

The Gambler: A Guest Blog

It's a Pen and Ink first: a guest blogger. Today's guest is Tamara. What she's written has actually inspired me on a piece that I will post in the next day or two.

Isn't it funny how one chance you take in life can change your path completely? I look back on my life over the last 27 years...ok, 31 years (who's counting?)...and so many decisions or chances I took in the past led me in a different direction.

Here I am in Miami, Florida, hundreds of miles away from friends and family and wondering how I got here. The answer...who cares!!! I'm here now!

My next questions should be what chance will I take next and where will it lead?

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."  JFK

Carol and Denise.

There have been times over the years when I've met people with whom I have a very strong connection. Almost like two strong magnets coming together. These almost surreal connections  are hard to describe. You need to experience them to fully appreciate their power, but let me relate two of them to you.

First there was Carol. Back in the early 1990s I became involved with the Greater Boston Business Council, the local GLBT professional networking group. Specially, I was working on a philanthropic project to raise money for scholarships for GLBT youth.

Carol became involved with our committee just after I did. A lesbian of the lipstick variety, Carol is warm and wonderful. Bright, funny, energetic, sparkling, smart...you name it, this woman's got it going on. We hit it off immediately.

I began to look forward to my times with Carol -- be it in committee work or just being together as friends. My mood actually went up a couple of notches just by being with her. A friend on the scholarship committee even commented on it.

"You brighten whenever you're with her."

Then there was Denise.

Denise and I worked on a national public health initiative while I was working at Boston University and she at a foundation in Chicago. We had lots of phone interactions that often went beyond the subject at hand (She had this uncanny ability to call my office just after I stepped out for a cookie break. Don't think I didn't get shit for it!). On my periodic trips to Chicago we always got together.

One time there was a major meeting in New York that Denise and I both flew in to attend. The night before, I picked her up at Newark Airport and drove to Manhattan for dinner. Coming back to New Jersey, we arrived at her hotel at midnight. Then proceeded to sit in my rental car for two and a half hours talking about anything and everything.

I don't know what it is about these amazing connections. (For the record, Denise is straight, so no jokes about being attracted to lesbians.) I've thought about these relationships over the years, especially as I have come to understand more about the energy between and among people.

This is the first post on the subject of energy. I can't explain why the connections with Carol and Denise were so strong, but I'm convinced there was some greater force at play.

It makes life interesting, giving us relationships to cherish.

Behold, the power of blog.

At least once a day I log into Pen and Ink to see if anyone has posted responses to my writing. Usually it's the same loyal friends and readers.

Yesterday there was a post from Kev, who writes Protected Truth. He responded to my "Bumpin' around South Florida" piece, commenting that he's enjoying the vibe he gets while reading my posts. What a cool thing to say.

Of course, I went and checked out his site. And promptly added a link from my own site.

He had a point in his posting yesterday about how we "anonymous" bloggers actually become friends by reading each other's writing, albeit in a non-traditional way. He equated it to meeting someone in a bar, enjoying the conversation, and seeking out the person the next time you're in the bar.

He's hit the nail on the head.

Now that I've been into this blog-thing for several months, I've come to appreciate -- and in fact cherish -- the connections that can be made. They can be as passive as reading someone's writing anonymously, or occasionally posting a reaction.

In Steven's case, we've expanded our connection to emailing telephone and are developing a nice friendship. (It will only progress if I receive cookies very soon.)

Underlying the "coolness" of this whole thing is the far-flung nature of the Internet. Connections can be made with people from any part of the globe. There's just something so beautiful and magnificent in that, don't you think?

There's also the outcome of deepening relationships with friends and family through the blog. At least in my case, people who know me in real-time know be better through my writing. These posts stir up conversations and emails that otherwise would not happen.

I'm becoming addicted to this. I've bookmarked so many blogs that I have a difficult time keeping up with them all. And I find myself checking site statistics every day to see from where people are accessing my blog. I even found myself linked from a site that I had never heard of before. And I'm gratified that more people are reading this thing.

This thing is powerful. And I love it.

A clarification, if you will.

In yesterday's post I wrote that Steven had some harsh words for me about cookies.

Well, the clarification is that I was kidding about harsh. What he said was something to the effect of, "Damn you, Glenn, for talking about cookies and making me bake them."

So, gentle readers, I didn't mean to lead anyone to think that he said anything bad. He wrote me today all apologetic about offending me, which he certainly did not.

However, he suggested making it up to me with a cake. Even devil's food.

Hmmm...perhaps I should be offended after all.

Bumpin' around South Florida.

Wow. What a week this has been.

I haven't written much at all, not because I don't have anything to say though. On the contrary, I'm bursting with things I want to explore, including the previously mentioned series on energy between and among people.

No, quite frankly, it's all because of a lack of time.

Work has been just nuts. I feel like we're spinning, and for every two steps forward I seem to take, I get pushed back four or five steps. I had a therapy session with my boss until 6:30 the other evening. He's very helpful and motivating.

I've also been spending a lot of time with John. Or rather, I should say, a lot of evenings. We're really getting used to sleeping next to each other and seem to getting to a point that we'd rather be lying next to each other than not.

There's also been a fun exchange of emails with my blogger friend Steve from Human Nature. It seems a previous telephone conversation about baking cookies has gotten under his skin. He's had some harsh words, said with the appropriate level of playfulness, about me. In fact, the subliminal messages about cookies became so strong he's even written about it. He's just posted it today, so check it out.

Let's see...what else. Oh yes, one other little thing.  John dropped the L word on me last night.

Oops, he's just pulled up in front of my house. Got to go.

Have a delicious weekend!

Quote/Unquote

Bumper sticker seen on a car that, considering other rather colorful stickers, is owned by a gay man or a lesbian:

Focus on your own damn family.

Quote/Unquote

This is a song lyric by Stephen Schwarz from the musical Pippin. Its message is simple and clear.

Time is living's prize.