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Compared to those congested metropolitan areas, I might as well be on another planet, living as I do in the countryside some distance from a small, remote town.
Compounding my sense of isolation is the fact that my eldest daughter is still in Europe on vacation, my son is still camping with his friend's family and middle daughter is working late tonight so she'll sleep at my former wife's house. I'm home alone with my little dog who is sweet but not much of a conversationalist.
What I miss the most is the pleasure of being with special friend(s) who make everything that much more fun, whether walking around historic sites, eating out and in particular, ogling and commenting on the hot gay guys who were much in evidence everywhere. For the past many years, I have been by myself for nearly all of my adventures and I'm tired of it.
What also struck me was the wealth of LGBTQ opportunities available in the big cities such as gay community centres, gay bars, book and social clubs, shops, entertainment (drag queens! bear night! woof!) and gay recreation and sports leagues of every description. Little / none of those exist here.
By contrast, there is a severe lack of LGBTQ services or social outlets of any kind in my little town. The local gay guys all say: "This is a difficult town to be gay in" and young gaylings generally escape to the big city immediately upon graduation. I don't see this situation changing any time soon, if ever.
I know that this is a sucky kind of a post, but that's my mood at the moment.
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Glad you had a good time! Wish I'd been there, maybe you can make it to blogger-pa-looza in Lewes, DE in April. Love to meet you!
ReplyDeletePeace <3
Jay
I'd love to meet you to!
DeleteBuddy,
ReplyDeleteIt truly was a lot of fun.
I have to say ..... I, too, even though just an arms length [not literally, Cubby] from all of those gay guys, am sleeping alone tonight too. The older I get, the more I realize that we must enjoy those times when we can. Next time, [and we must plan on a next time] we will all enjoy it even more.
Thanks for being here.
Yes, we must seize the moment! It was great meeting you. I admired very much your strength, quiet dignity and the love you had for your kids as you worked your way through your journey. (which so much resembled my journey)
DeleteAnd I also got to see in person what Cubby has been saying all along; that you are very hot, handsome as hell and (I'll add) with testosterone coming out of your ears.
I soo enjoyed my brief moment in DC with you all... I hope to see you and the others soon at other blog get-together's... So nice to finally meet you in person!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a monumental surprise when you walked into Cubby's apartment; had you been some mega rock star or Prince Harry, we couldn't have been more bowled over. It very exciting to finally meet The Blogger King 'in the flesh'.... er... but not all of your flesh. lol
DeleteThank you for undergoing that nine hours in horrible traffic to meet us.
I really enjoyed your charm, wit, intelligence and warmth. I also admired your courage in setting out on your new business venture; best of luck with it!
And may I add, I think you're the most gorgeous man I've ever met. And your slow, honeyed southern accent would be enough, I'm sure, to cause any gay man to cum spontaneously in his pants.
MWAH! love ya back, baybee! post-vacation blues are no fun; you need some love nest private time.
ReplyDeletehope to see you again soon! :)
Yes, I hope we'll meet again. I so enjoyed our time together! anne marie, you're an amazing person: intelligent, articulate, compassionate and with a heart as big as Pennsylvania.
DeleteI also loved how you kept things interesting by (occasionally) dropping the f-bomb and other choice words into casual conversations. Too funny!
You're right: your little town will never have as many gay entertainments as Toronto or Washington DC. But if I recall correctly it was big enough to put on a pride event, so it is big enough to have some gay culture.
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether it is of interest to you, but you can help build that culture in your town -- you have already begun to do so, by being an out teacher and by participating in your local pride celebrations. A group of people in my small city increased the amount of gay culture here by starting a community space; my (small) contribution was to help sustain a reading group. So it can be done. If nothing else it helps the gaylings before they leave for more exciting places.
On the other hand, I suspect a lot of people in Toronto and Washington would be envious of your waterfront property.
You are 100% on all counts and very wise! Yes, our town did put on an admirable Pride Week. Fantastic! And I've just discovered that the group of LGBTQ volunteers (including me)remains intact year round, providing volunteer services for all manner of non-gay community events ... with an honorarium ($) paid to the organization.
DeleteThere are various LGBTQ support groups here which need volunteers, one targeted at teens and others for university age and older gays or HIV+ people. I am in a good position to take on a leadership role in LGBTQ in our community; in fact, I already do as an out high school teacher.
And yes, as my plane flew over tens of thousands of McMansions and never-ending urban sprawl on its approach to DC and Toronto, I thought that there wasn't one single property which matched my home on it's spectacular waterfront setting. Thanks for reminding me of this!
Sounds like a wonderful time in DC. Hope whatever lingering feelings of isolation that you feel are mitigated by the connections you've made via this blog and those who read and comment.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
BosGuy
Yes, thank you! My life definitely has been enriched by my blogger friends, online friends who have become real life friends too. One day (but who knows when?), I'll be travelling through Boston enroute to P-town. Maybe we'll meet then!
Deletehey, I always enjoy reading your posts. they are entertaining, witty, and emotional....and thus makes me want to give you a hug right now. It's okay to be in a funk, sometimes. If you ever find yourself in the west coast gay mecca(San Francisco), I would enjoy meeting up with you for a conversation and coffee. Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, I don't blog, though I have thought about it and did write up some thoughts, but it came out rubbish and boring so I just read. cheers, David
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I'm quite sure that your writing was not 'rubbish and boring.' With blogging, there is no predicting what people will find interesting.
DeleteYes, SF would be a great vacation destination, gay or otherwise! I hope to visit there one day but it won't be soon....
It was great meeting you in Toronto. Thanks for spending the afternoon/evening with us and showing us around a bit. Nice Indian food and great conversation - how can one go wrong.
ReplyDeleteI suspect I am due for the post-travel blues shortly. We just got home last night
Best wishes
Thank you! It was a pleasure spending that time with you and Dr. Spo.
DeleteI got the laptop!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed I very much enjoyed meeting you/your company
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ReplyDeleteLet me get it right.
I don't care about sports. Never cared less.
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