Silvia you were so spot on with the Rilke recommendation. Thank you. I’ve never felt an author speak to me so directly and its not typically what I expect or look for from what I read. I had to put the book down a couple times because some sentences hit so close to home. Very powerful. I’m now reading the Duino Elegies. If anyone wants to join me, lemme know.
A number of you made a donations to support my ride. Thank you so much. Your good eggs.
A few of you might have already received an email from me, via the American Lung Association, asking for you support, but I just realized I have a blog, duh, so why not post something. Here’s the deal, in a couple weekends I’m participating in a 60 mile bike ride to reach the beach, in large part to honor a colleague who died this year of lung cancer and who completed a number of these rides (with one lung). I’d love your support; $5 or $10 would rock!
I’ve been thinking of starting another blog to talk about all things butch, especially the everydayness of being butch, and I still might, but for now I’ll post some butch thoughts here. It’s kinda funny that I’d even want to start a butch blog, because in lots of ways I relate so much more to just being a nice midwestern guy than I do to being butch, although I’m not interested in making any transitions, in case anyone out there is wondering. I’ve just never been very good at performing butch, which for all you straight folks may be hard to explain. But basically it means I’m not showing up to queer events with my chain wallet and big black boots on the back of my Harley. I spent my time at the softball fields playing chess on the tailgate of a friend’s truck. I’m not a deft pool or dart player. Yes, I’ve kicked many of your asses in racquetball and yes I can get out the rock, but believe me when I show up at queer event, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb, with my cords and Munsingwear sweater and clipless bike shoes. This is not at all thought through commentary. Maybe I should have said that first.
Lately, I’ve been wondering if I can be a nice guy and butch at the same time. For those of you who’s identities are not so narrowly defined this may not be very interesting, but it seems like I can either get my guyness affirmed as I have been for the last 15 or so years, mostly through the company of straight guys and gals, or I can get my butchness affirmed through the queer community. But the two don’t have lots of overlap. Again, not well thought through and I may pick up this thread later.