Why I skipped Gay Pride this year

It's just not fun anymore. The parade used to be a fabulous, exciting, heart rendering event - with several hundred thousand people lining lower Westheimer, screaming their hearts out.

Now, it's 1/3 churches, 1/8 lesbian service organizations, 1/4 multi-national corporations, three bars (all owned by Charles Armstrong) and BCBC. Churches? Churches that promise to be inclusive, and that Jesus will take us in? The same church organizations that are fighting against gay marriage, and fighting against gay people being seen as anything other than behavorial choice?

A bunch of people marching with signs for Jesus and overtaxed, underpowered audio systems playing Christian rock is NOT what I associate with gay pride.

Charles Armstrong, who is the Lord and Master of all Gay Commerce in the City of Houston now puts his usual five bucks into gay pride, and we have a token appearance for the six gay bars he now owns. He probably docked his employee's pay to create the float, or made them work on it on their own time or something.

I remember when there were entries for every significant gay business; bars had elaborate floats built on fire trucks or construction equipment, there were all-gay amateur marching bands, the Dallas gay cheerleaders, fifty-four thin, moustached men in leather chaps, leather vests, leather boots and leather caps, each carrying a flag of the fifty states, one carrying the flag of the United States, one carrying that of the City of Houston, one carrying the rainbow flag, and one the flag of Mary's, the oldest gay bar in Texas. People were exuberant.

Now, it's just the young lesbians who are. It's gotten to be a contest for "look at how accepting we really are."

The truth is different. The truth is that the prejudice has become somehwat unfashionable. It's still there. It still operates. Show me an openly gay upper level member of management in a Fortune 100 company. Show me an openly gay partner in a big five accounting firm. Or in a major law firm. Show me the CEO of a major multi-national company whose partner at a party is a man with whom he's shared his last thirty years.

It doesn't exist. It likely won't exist. Just as women continue to beat their heads against the glass ceiling, and black people are welcome just SO high and no higher, we are only allowed to achieve the maximum in businesses that we own. There are several, some very successful.

Yet, we will likely never measure up to the standards of Oprah or Mary Kay Ash. Most of our gay business leaders are still focused on the party, and focused on the youngest man they can still coax out of his very fashionable drawers. They are vicious snubs of other gay businesses, unless they think that they can get "it" or get it for free.

There is no bigotry like that with which the gay community assaults itself. Being old is cause for excommunication. Being fat is worse. Being effiminate even worse than that. The gay ideal is a clone army of thin young men in low-rise, $150 jeans, wearing an earth toned, distressed t-shirt with "Abercrombie & Fitch" emblazoned across their gym toned chest. Everthing is geared to speak to that image. There are no businesses that cater to an older crowd, except as to allow those older persons to try to pick up on the young ones that look just like .. the ideal. All right, there are a FEW businesses that are free of THAT much single-mindedness, but I defy you to find some gay business owner who actively seeks out other gay businesses to supply their needs.

So, rather than be regaled with zealots telling me that Jesus will welcome me into their worship services, or watch Countrywide Home Loans' float lionize having squeezed out all of the independant gay mortgage brokers, or Wells Fargo pretend to be accepting of homosexuality, or Bill White act like gay people mean a rat's ass, I stayed home, and reflected on a time when half-naked go-go boys dressed as fire fighters, grinned madly at the crowd from the top of their rented fire truck, instead of suffering through the intense discomfort of the Fire Chief and those few firefighters who could be compelled to ride behind the closed doors and windows of their COH fire engine.

Saturday - Pride Day

In Houston, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco .. but not in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, or certain other cities.

Waiting for the new mattress/box spring to be delivered; Bram moves in tomorrow, and I had to get another bed. The guest room looks a zillion percent better with the mattress and box spring in place, and bedding on the bed. I need to put together a list of some things to pick up at Bed, Bath and Beyond - like a red silk duponi bed skirt, some other stuff.

And that damned cook top.

As soon as the mattress/box spring shows up, I need to run over to HEB and pick up a few things.

I've been looking at things that work and things that don't work for me, and where I'm getting resistence from the Universe. Mortgage loans, chasing old tax returns, working for businesses that are in trouble - just don't work. Chasing people who are already train wrecks only invites that wreckage into my own life.

I need to go up on my fees, and charge up front, only.

It looks as if writing courses, delivering courses and writing for NV is going to work for me. I'm really enjoying developing some course presentations, and conceiving articles for NV. I just put together a concept for a DaVinci code dialogue with a Christian scholar, a Jewish scholar and discussion ..

Friday night wonders

Watching "Die, Mommie, Die." What a great movie. It's a hoot.

The garage door opener is working again! And the yard is mowed! And the pool is clean! YAY! Tomorrow, I'll vacuum, and the house will be all spic and span for the new room mate's arrival Sunday night. Tomorrow, I have to also buy a new bed, as the new room mate is renting the guest room for a month and then getting his own furniture.

The garage door opener is working again! Did I mention that the garage door opener is working again?

Renewed the loan officer license today. Mailed all the eBay stuff. Spent four and a half hours getting medical tests done. Reduced by nine pounds from last month, had normal blood pressure, normal EKG.

It's time to hit the hay here ... have a ton to do tomorrow, including floating in the pool with Mikey, Ro-Ro and Ro-Ro's friends.

Thursday - maybe I'll try this AGAIN

This wireless router is less valuable than a dog turd in a punch bowl. It works for about ten minutes, then I have to go upstairs, unplug it, reset it, and come back downstairs. Of course, in the meantime, whatever I was working on is GONE.

Today was passably productive. Now, I'm at the mercy of this client, who may or may not show up to finalize his thing. He's not being any more reliable than he was before. Lovely stuff.

I should make some dinner and eat it before it gets too late. By the time I'm done with that, the wireless router should have collapsed onto its fainting couch again, and I'll be in synch.

Watching a documentary about Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense from the Vietnam era. I've seen it before, as it turns out. It's a goood show.

In summary:

1. I am going to let my loan officer license go, because I'm just no longer going to try to schlepp loans, and I can't see paying the $200 to keep that license.
2. I'm going to fire .. well, most of the clients I have .. tomorrow, because I'm no longer willing to have clients who try to negotiate the fee after the fact, and refuse to pay in full or on time.
3. I'm going to start looking for another place to live; I'm unwilling to continue to dance this dance with Twitch .. yes, no, maybe, it depends.
4. I'm going to tell a number of people that I'm no longer interested in discussing "deals" with them, because they bring me nothing. They call over and over and over and over and pester me with hypotheticals, but they offer nothing.
5. I'm going to figure out how to make my life work for me, and only work on things that don't involve solving other people's problems.

I am going to focus on my church development, including the articles and presentations that I have. I am going to focus on my website, and web based delivery of content that will make me money. I am going to focus on the mortgage training materials.

Somehow things are going to have to work out to support this.

Playing the slots in McCarren Int'l Airport?

Why do that when you have open access wifi!?!?

We have just about an hour before our connecting flight, and we've already evacuated in the men's room, grabbed a beverage, and now we're sitting here with our Dell laptops (which are nearly identical) clamshelled together, digging into our electronic worlds.

So, where to start? My joy at the American Episcopalians' choice of a new leader? Being kept awake nearly all night by E's OCD wheaton terrier? The three LOUD persons sitting behind us on the flight from SEA to LAS, who blathered on about waaaay too personal material? The dreary drive at the butt crack of dawn from Vancouver to Seattle? Or, shall I compare and contrast the treatment we had at the hands of ICE (the new border customs and immigration agency) and the government of Canuckistan?

On the way up Thursday night, we were in a huge line of cars crossing the border. We sat in that line, which suddenly broke free and we zipped up as the cars were processed in no time flat. We pulled up, and a camera took both our car's VIN and license tag. Here's how the conversation went:

Canuckistanian inspector: Where are you from?
Doug (for D&C): Houston, Texas
C.I. Rented car?
D&C: Yes
C.I. Both US citizens?
D&C: Yes
C.I. Purpose of your visit in Canada?
D&C: Visiting friends for the weekend
C.I. Where are you headed?
D&C: Vancouver
C.I. When do you return?
D&C: Monday morning
C.I. Bringing any gifts into Canada?
D&C: No, sir.
C.I. Have a good time in Canada.


Now, here we come back into the United States of Jesusland, as modified by the Republican party over the last twenty-five years:

US ICE Nazi customs inspector: What is your place of residence?
D&C: Houston, Texas
ICE Nazi: Where were you in Canada?
D&C: Vancouver
ICE Nazi: What was the reason for your trip?
D&C: Visiting friends
ICE Nazi: Did you buy anything in Canada?
D&C: Yes, a bottle of aspirin each, and a bottle of cough syrup (C got sick while we were there)
ICE Nazi: Is there codiene in them?
D&C: Yes, sir
ICE Nazi: When are you returning to Houston?
D&C: This morning at 11:20, we're headed straight to SEATAC
ICE Nazi: The drugs you're bringing in are controlled substances. Park your car, and go inside and wait with the drugs.
D&C: Yes, sir.

Inside, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Nazi #2, wearing BATTLE DRESS gives us further enlightenment.

ICE Nazi #2: Are you C?
C: Yes, sir.
ICE Nazi #2: Where do you live?
C: Houston, Texas
ICE Nazi #2: Both of you?
D&C: Yes sir
ICE Nazi #2: How do you two know each other?
C: We've known each other for years.
ICE Nazi #2: Why were you in Canada?
D: A Friend's 40th birthday party
ICE Nazi #2: How do you know this person?
D: I've known him for eight years - we've worked together in computers
ICE Nazi #2: Where is your prescription for these drugs?
C: We don't have one
ICE Nazi #2: You realize that these drugs you're bringing into the US are controlled substances. Having them in the State of Washington is a felony. I could call the Blaine PD right now and have you charged with possession.
D: uh-huh
ICE Nazi #2: So, what are we going to do about this?
(interruption by loud sirens and everyone scrambling outside to deal with the threatened incursion across the US Border. From Canada. At 7:15 a.m. In the morning. On a Monday.)
ICE Nazi #2: Are these for your personal use? you've opened them.
C: I came down sick while I was there.
ICE Nazi #2: The US doesn't ban the importation of these drugs for personal use, but you're only allowed 50 pills. This is way more than that. You could turn around and drive back to the drugstore and return these, but since you've opened them, I doubt that they will take them back.
D: uh-huh
ICE Nazi #2: So, if you're going to insist on bringing these into the United States, I'm going to have to call Blaine PD and have you arrested.
D: Okay
ICE Nazi #2: However, if you want to bring in this one (handing C the cough syrup) and you want to bring in this one (handing D a bottle of aspirin) then you could dispose of one of these into the trash, and I'll just let it go by.
D: Okay
ICE Nazi #2 thereupon escorts D outside to a trash can. D throws bottle of aspirin, of which two tabs have been consumed, into the trash.


ICE Nazi #2: You can go now.

I feel SO much safer!