Lub, Dub. Nearly 50 years ago I went to a party wearing flip flops, fishnet stockings, and grapes. Period. Lub. Because it was very cold the night of that New Years Eve costume party, my thin trench coat did little to keep me warm as I knelt in the back of a car on the…
River Queen, Castaways, Circus-Circus, The Factory — these were the names of bars I went to when I first started socializing as a gay young adult. They were not the first gay bars I went to, however. Oddly, my first encounter with one of these was with my mother who was naive to the fact that…
By age 10 I had become pretty adept at taking the pulse of a room. I knew when my dad had too much to drink, when a holiday was in danger of being cancelled, when the cake would go uneaten, when my mom was fed-up and overwhelmed. Most of the time I tested a space…
Peck, scratch, flap. Birds dine, not alone, but with bird pals fluttering nearby. My bowl, mine. My food. Gobble, lick, chow down, wary until cleaned bowls swapped. Pottery in white sets off precious portions to tempt the man outside. Mothers lament why we will not cooperate, share what we are given.
Folded cardboard box Stays the earth’s damp, but rain Ruins doorway sleep. High end fashion pumps Click him into the day light — So close to his head. More, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, but not for him.
This past weekend I touched a $2,135 sweater. No one stopped me, so I touched the $965 matching pants. Over $3,000 before underpants or socks or shoes. As I am thinking this week about our long-term commitment to our own well-being, the well-being of others, and the well-being of all — well, frankly I cannot…
Paul and I had scores of favorite phrases that we’d use with each other repeatedly. The origins of some of the expressions are lost in the mist of time. Others were born in our childhoods and the circumstances of their first iteration were vividly etched on our corneas and brains. Among them were the following.…
The vote by UWM faculty this week to express their lack of confidence in the leadership of both the UW System Chancellor, Ray Cross, and the Board of Regents prompts me to reflect on my identity as a UWM alumnus and academic staff person. Even as I write this post, I am tempted to use…
Most people who know me even a little would doubt that I know or care much about baseball. As a child I needed glasses long before anyone knew I did, so no matter how hard I swung a bat or stretched for a ball, it was always just beyond my reach because I could not…
Creating Community for Everyone 