Tag Archives: Billie

I Miss You- Blink 182

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Yesterday was such a nice day. Nice enough that I don’t feel like writing today, but here I am writing again. If Truman Capote were around and reading blogs he might have said ‘That’s not writing, that’s typing’. That is what Truman supposedly said about Jack Kerouac. I can’t fill Kerouac shoes, he was a 10.5 and I am a 12. It would be painful and awkward and I would be in dire need of an orthopedic shoe. I just returned from busking again, not too busy a day though my guitar playing has improved somewhat. I hadn’t busked since last Thursday.

Like I wrote, yesterday was nice, really a top day. Pleasant weather, nary a cloud in the sky. I did some filing, my nails have gotten back to where they should be. I strolled the waterfront promenade once again, enjoying a cigar. I found a spot and sat and read Lucking Out by James Wolcott. I’m enjoying reading about his exploits with Pauline Kael, hanging out at CBGB’s and a fixation on porn. When I finished reading yesterday, AIDS was beginning to make its appearance. The grim reaper and it’s scythe taking out a generation of gay men and soon to spread to non-gay men.

I remember hearing about GRID- Gay Related Immune Deficiency, or the gay cancer as it was first known. It was the beginning of the paranoia of the pandemic and I was still deep in the closet, living the two lives that I led back in the day. One of the symptoms was a loss of appetite, a wasting away. I told someone that in the future, overweight men will be the desirable set following the death of the clones. It didn’t take into consideration that there would be two sets, the gym bunnies constantly fixated on chiseled abs and toned bodies and the other group being the bears, the hirsute, stocky men.

Having never set foot in a gym I lean towards the bear contingent though I consider myself to be a wolf, and a lone wolf at that. When smoking was permissible in Central Park, when I would have the time to check out the disco skate circle I would be either opposite the bears on Bear Hill or above the bears at the top of the hill enjoying a cigar and enjoying the tunes. Since the smoking ban I haven’t been in Central Park. In fact since I was dismissed from the cigar shack I haven’t gone north of 47th Street.

While sitting and reading I got a phone call from Billie in DC. It had been a while since we last spoke and we kept missing each other on various phone calls. He’s doing well, working and in good health thanks to the government of Washington DC. I told him the story about my dismissal, how the guy who claimed to have no ego was pissed off and his ego bruised by what I wrote exactly. Billie was great and laughed several times at my tale. He knew I was unhappy there and claimed it was god’s doing that got me out of there.

He mentioned that he was thinking about taking a Bolt Bus from Washington DC and having a day trip to Manhattan. That would be great and since I have the time it seems likely that it would happen. It would be easier for Billie to come up here than for me to get to DC since in DC we would need a car to get around where in Manhattan no car would be needed. Billie’s visit is something to look forward to and hopefully we will get together soon enough.

I walked around Hoboken afterwards, talking on the phone with Lois and running into my friend Roger with his wife Dina and their 3 month old son Kennedy. What a happy chubby baby. Dina looked great as did Roger. It was fun catching up with Roger for a while and I walked them back to their car before heading home. Bill was home when I came home, so happy to see me. He was in better spirits than he was earlier. He had gone to Philadelphia on Saturday and while there his wallet was stolen, pickpocketed.

He had enough to get to Manhattan but had to borrow some cash from the producer of the play he is working on. We watched the closing of the Olympics, annoyed with Bob Costas and Ryan Seacrest endlessly talking over whatever as going on. We surmised it was because Americans needed to have things spelt out for them, instead of just showing the images without comment. They cut out Ray Davies singing Waterloo Sunset, and also Muse while postponing the Who, who were mediocre. And still no Elton. What was that about?

And I am DJ’ing from home again at the local tavern right now…











Kennedy!


The Nick Colas haircut!


Jimmy Roselli


05 All Night Long

Gentle Hours

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October 11, written October 12. And now Phase 2, in which Doris gets her oats.

12 hours later, a splendid day in DC. Bus got to DC a half hour early and the weather was pleasant so I didn’t mind. Billie showed up on time and we started for the march after we had a quick bite to eat. Billie picked up the tab despite my protestations.

The weather was gorgeous as we walked around. We decided to catch the parade between the White House and the Capitol building. It was quite a sight to see, thousands of LGBT marchers coming towards us.

It was bright and sunny as expected and after joining the march towards the Capitol, we sat for a little while and rested and chatted about what as going on. Hard to believe but there is almost 30 years of history between Billie and myself. We have the type of relationship that we might not talk to each other for months, then when we do it’s like we had just talked an hour before.

Tons of people milling about, helicopters flying overhead, taking photographs, or perhaps a headcount for the National Parks Service. We heard the Gay Men’s Chorus of DC sing songs ranging from the Sounds of Silence to Blowing in the Wind to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, all performed beautifully.

Dan Choi, Cynthia Nixon, Judy Shepard and David Mixner among others gave compelling speeches. All over it was great to see the LGBT community in all shapes, sizes and colors united for equality.

I was wearing my Obama Superman shirt and one of the volunteers said that I might be booed for wearing it but that never happened. The volunteer and I agreed that the LGBT community would have to be patient.

Obama has 2 wars and a shit economy. Not to diminish the LGBT struggle but things might be easier for all concerned once the wars are finished and the economy gets better.

As Billie and I wandered around I spied John Oliver from the Daily Show who stood next to me for a snapshot. Nice guy and taller than I expected. Billie and I headed back towards the White House where a stranger gladly took our picture in front of the President’s house.

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It truly was one of the best days of my life. Everything went so smoothly with no hassles for me at least. I did have to get back to the bus at 6:00 so after a quick jaunt to Chinatown where Billie purchased a stand for a vase, we waited around where I was initially dropped off.

As we waited a young man and woman came up to me asking for a smoke. As the four of us stood around, we found the young man James, to be a straight ally of the young woman Alex. Billie and I playing the role of the old timers, thanked James and the other straight allies everywhere for being so open minded and compassionate for the LGBT community.

It seems each generation becomes more relaxed and doesn’t understand the big deal about being LGBT, which is how it should be. For some reason, my generation and generations before me, sometimes find LGBT people to be abhorrent.

That we’re all about sex (or that is what they envision) and if you have them over to your house you know they will start screwing no matter what. Of course it’s not like that at all and in fact most of us are quite boring. As boring as most non-LGBT people.

Of course it’s not the boring ones who make it on the TV news.

This is why it’s important for everyone to come out of the closet. To show that we are your friends, your brothers, your sisters, your children and yes, sometimes your parents. Much like Harvey Milk said all those years ago.

The bus ride back was quiet. I wound up having Alex sit next to me. Her dad is a GE big shot. No last names. She lives in Williamsburg. I told her I couldn’t tell since she wasn’t wearing skinny jeans, nor an ironic t-shirt and no fedora rakishly worn.

We parted ways in Manhattan, no emails or phone numbers exchanged. I probably talked her ear off. But I wished her a safe trip home and headed towards the Path train, an hour earlier than was scheduled.

Once I got to Hoboken, as per Billie’s request I called him to let him know I got home safe and sound.

Bill was home sitting in the apartment, which was cleaner than it was when I left. Though it was dark when I left, I’m sure it was cleaner on my return. Stayed up and tried to upload photos but it was a pain in the ass and went to bed instead, where I slept quite soundly.

Woke up long after Bill was off to work. Manually loaded 50+ photos onto Facebook. Don’t have the program I usually use on Bill’s Mac so I will have to upload those at a later date.

I did go out and buy the newspaper and had a nice breakfast. Later I read in the paper of a 49 year old man named Jack Price in College Point, Queens was beaten.

All of his ribs have been broken, his lungs have collapsed and a metal plate had to be placed in his jaw after being beaten by 2 young men, when he went out to get some smokes at 3:00AM Friday morning.

Unfortunately the 2 young men aren’t on the same evolutionary scale as Alex’s friend James.
Douche baggery is too polite a term to describe the 2 gay bashers.

This is why I march for National Equality.

For full protection under the law and the Constitution.

Sometimes it’s difficult to be patient.

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