Taking Time To Smell The Flowers

Tulips At Amsterdam Flower Show 2008

Sometimes on the journey that is Nichevo, I have to stop and take time to smell the flowers. That is where I am this morning. I have had such a myriad of positive input in the last thirty days I have to stop and just say "Thank You Lord for bringing me to the place I am today". My little corner of the world today is so different (and so much better) than it was just a month ago. It is hard to believe that all that has happened has really happened to me. In the malaise that was my life the last few months in Dallas, I did not think that I would see the day when my life would take this turn for the better. I certainly never imagined myself living in Arkansas and loving it! Yet here I am and I am extremely grateful to be here. It is a wonderment to me how a chance meeting while substituting on the desk for the Scurrilous Rat would lead to my being in such a place as I find myself today. On such small events does the world turn, it is never the big things but the small details that make the difference. One small pebble in ocean of life grows to be the breakers on a foreign shore, I am really glad I caught the wave.

I met someone before services at Open Door during the "Coffee and Donut Meet and Greet" time who was formerly part of the ownership group that I work for. He readily agreed in my assessment of S R from his past experiences with him. We quickly skipped past the less than pleasant memory and went on to talk about other things. I am really liking the folks I am meeting there. It is a real joy to attend services in an upbeat atmosphere and the messages proclaimed from the pulpit are loving and inclusive rather than the condemnation and divisiveness espoused in a great many pulpits across America today. Speaking o f which, here is the local video news coverage of the Million Fag March that took place on Saturday in Topeka, KS home of the most famous homophobic congregation in America, Westboro Baptist Church. While not quite a million people showed there were 418 marchers which is more than 4 times the number of members of said "church". It is planned to be an annual event until they really do just dry up and blow away. When I think of word church, places like Westboro come to mind so I consider Open Door to be a spiritual center instead. I know they are really doing a lot to restore my confidence in people of faith. Maybe I am not to old to get over my long held skepticism on the whole subject religion.

At any rate, I am thoroughly enjoying the journey on the path to which I have been led. Stick around, come back often and I will keep you up to date on the journey that is Nichevo as we sail on through life in the company of those we have come to know and love. God grant you fair winds and following seas. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Fun At Work, Gay Video History, And The Million Fag March

Balloon Festival, Colorado

I was right about it being a busy weekend here at the hotel, MM (my coworker) and I were slammed the whole shift. We had a lot of fun as most of the guests were in town for the softball tournament that begins tomorrow at Burns Park just a couple of miles down the road. The club was jamming all night too, everyone was in a great mood and the evening just flowed. I like those kind of shifts, you don't have to worry with finding something to occupy your time while waiting for someone to arrive, you are charging full steam ahead just to keep up with the traffic. MM and I work well together as a team to keep anyone from having to wait in line and the money always comes out right at shift change. It is a real pleasure to work with someone as professional as she is. I am so glad that I made the decision to come up here, it has been all that I hoped for and more. I am constantly learning new things and expanding my skill set while performing at a very high level, which is pleasing to my owner and managers. For a "people person" like myself it is very rewarding to be able to meet the needs of my guests and provide for them a value added experience for their travel dollar.

The video clip below is a scene from the groundbreaking (at the time) movie Making Love with Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean. I had the hots for Harry real bad about that time and I was ecstatic that there was actually a mainstream movie being made with a Gay theme to it. Looking back at ti, the movie seems very tame compared to today's offerings, but at the time it was so much more than what we had had available. The video game they are playing at the end of the clip was state of the art back then which goes to show you once again how much technology has improved in that area over the past 25 years. I still prefer Latter Days as the classic romance, but in 1982 this is the film that opened the doors so that films like Latter Days and Eating Out could be made. Just a little Gay video history for you to enjoy.



In the post just below this one is the newsletter I received in my email about the Million Fag March coming up at the end of the month designed to give the Phelps Clan in Topeka, Ks a little taste of their own medicine. They may be a pain in the ass but by being so ridiculously homophobic, they have actually brought more people over to understanding and accepting GLBT persons as people rather than objects to be scorned. If you can make it to Kansas for the march, so much the the better as I would really like to see what old Fred has to say about freedom of speech when faced with a protest in his own back yard. Should be a very interesting day indeed.

I am about wound down now from the busy night at work so I need to fix something to eat and finish up a couple of projects before going to bed. I leave you with some great eye candy for your man fix. Until next time as always, Enjoy!