29 May 2011

Sunday Favorite: 57

I like the starkness and forlornness of today's favorite. Perhaps it was shot for a cologne advertisement a la Calvin Klein or a dust jacket cover photo for a crime novel. Whatever the original intent, I see a bit of loneliness and sadness in it. I can relate.

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. BEHR HUGS


28 May 2011

Behr Pick: Red Bear

When I was five years old, I made my first friend in kindergarten: his name was Kirk and he was a redhead. And I loved Kirk. I called him "Cookie." I vaguely remember being invited to his birthday party - probably because we were in the same class rather than his actual wanting me to be there.

He moved away shortly thereafter. I remember being devastated. So much so that even to this day, every time I see or meet a redheaded "Kirk" who is around my age I secretly wonder: is this him?

BEHR HUGS

27 May 2011

Weekend Woof

Make the most of your weekend, everyone!

BEHR HUGS

25 May 2011

Great Read: Mary Ann in Autumn


A few weeks ago I finally broke down and ordered Mary Ann in Autumn, the most recent installment in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series. It arrived this past Monday and like any good gay man, I took it with me to work and started reading it in between my actual work. I finished it up last night at home (it's an easy read).

What can I say? I laughed. I cried. I actually got blindsided by the denouement (mainly because I'd forgotten about certain characters from earlier in the series). I once again acknowledged the brilliance that is Armistead Maupin. His writing has this tendency to seduce you and invite you into the lives of his characters...by book's end you feel like you've been with good friends.


I own the entire series. I first came across Babycakes in the 80's: I was in college, coming out of the closet and accepting myself, dating, having sex with men, and hanging out with my own "Mary Ann" - her name was Caroline though. I quickly bought the previous books (Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City) and devoured them. As Maupin wrote each additional book in the series, I quickly grabbed it and revisited with these old friends. And quite honestly, I think his series helped me to continue to accept myself.



I hope that Maupin continues to write the series, taking us into the next generation of Ben, Jake, and Shawna while continuing on with Mary Ann, Michael, Brian, et al. I know that some day we will have to lose Mrs. Madrigal but until then she can continue to dispense her wisdom (and pot).



I'm certain many of you have already read this book and the series; but if you haven't then please look into it. It shares such a wonderful and colorful view of San Francisco and its denizens who will become good friends. Perhaps it is a bit dated but the underlying message - that it's okay to be you - is the perfect compliment to the It Gets Better campaign.



So do yourself a favor: curl up with this book...you won't be sorry!



BEHR HUGS

Hump Day

May it be a great one.

BEHR HUGS

22 May 2011

Rapture Funny

Saw this on Facebook and could not stop LMFAO.

Behr Sunday POV

Evidently the Rapture didn't happen. As you're all aware, Harold Camping predicted that those folks who were pure (or Christian or whatever) would be "taken" and the rest of us would be destroyed by earthquake. Camping is a nutcase and I think everyone - or almost everyone - knew it. I feel sorry for his followers who were insistent that it was going to happen. If Camping knew anything he'd know not to fuck with God. The Book of Revelations - presumably the same place Camping got his prediction - tells us that no one knows the day or hour. So a prediction for the end of the world is pretty lame. Still, I'm glad that it didn't happen because I like my life, even if I'm not the best person.

Today is the Gay Pride parade/event in Long Beach, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. This event has grown in size and I know many who attend it in lieu of attending the LA one because it is "nicer." So to my local gay brothers and lesbian sisters, Happy Pride. Enjoy yourself, have fun, and be safe.

BEHR HUGS





21 May 2011

20 May 2011

Friday Fur

Enjoy!

BEHR HUGS



















































14 May 2011

Behr Update

Yes! I'm alive! And this picture - taken with Photobooth - proves I'm alive and well. I apologize for the long overdue update. Let's get to it:

Work has been....work. Some days are good and some days are s-l-o-w. It's the nature of the beast. At the end of April I took a day trip to the SF Bay area for a meeting where I did some system instruction and a little coaching, much to the chagrin of the woman in charge, I'm sure. It was a beautiful beautiful day. The meeting itself was in Walnut Creek and afterwards I traveled into the city where I met my favorite Bear. We grabbed some coffee, a snack for him, and went to a park. We talked and got sunburned. As simple as it sounds, it was perfect. I enjoy spending time with him. He's one of those phenomenal guys who just makes me happy.

Last night I did something I haven't done in years. I got a massage. A friend of mine who is a little down on his luck is a CMT. So I hired him - at a greatly reduced rate I might add - since I was having trouble with my shoulders and neck. He gave me a full-body massage and for the most part I enjoyed it. Now, I know that he and I have flirted in the past but it's my understanding that we both realize there isn't a romantic or even sexual vibe to our friendship. Anyhow, at one point during the massage I felt him stick his crotch on my hand...and he kept rubbing back and forth. I did not take the bait, so-to-speak. I just lay there with my hand open as he rubbed his dick across my palm (he was clothed, btw). I was a little disappointed that he did that; but not as disappointed that he also massaged my junk (but since I have some troubles in that area nothing happened). Geez I can't believe I just shared that! If he asked I'd tell him a few things he could do to make the experience more enjoyable: perhaps vacuum the carpet, find a space with more room, play some soothing music. I had to keep telling myself to relax into the pain rather than tensing up. He didn't really communicate much during the session - no "Oh you are tense" or "Relax and breathe deep" or even "My my my Scraps is a boy dog, isn't he?" Maybe I'm just too picky.

For the past month I've been living retail hell. For some time now I have had difficulties with my oven, which is separate from the cooktop. It's doing what it did when I moved into my house nearly 10 years ago: it heats up to the desired setting then starts beeping, flashing a code, and cooling down. I decided to go oven shopping and of course like all brain-washed Americans, I went to Sears. Replace a Kenmore with a Kenmore, right? So to give you the short version (ya'll know that's not easy for me to do!), I bought a new wall oven and cooktop, to be delivered and installed the first day of my vacation back at the end of April. The purchase was made on April 10. I was told the items were in stock. The following few weeks I kept getting phone calls indicating there were delays. Finally today....May 14...they are to be installed. I can understand why Sears is no longer the top retailer in the USA. Their customer service SUCKS. I had one rep hang up on me and another transferred me to God-knows-where. I am supposedly getting an "inconvenience gift card" from them but I'm not holding my breath. And even if I do get it, it won't calm me down from my pissed-offedness. Anyway, the installer's name is Jose. Major points right there. I hope he's hot. I was hoping it would be David, the guy who installed my washer/dryer last year. (I was just scanning my posts, thinking that I had blogged about it but evidently I kept the tattooed Hispanic god for my own personal fantasies!)

Oh and it's the oven/cooktop purchase that prevented me from taking additional time in SF. Ugh.

In three weeks I will once again be walking in the Arthritis Foundation's Let's Keep Moving walk to raise money and awareness for this debilitating disease. I usually wait until this time to start asking for donations; this was a mistake because at work we're in the middle of our Workplace Giving campaign. Ugh. I did give myself a shameless plug in my staff meeting yesterday. I'm sure I've mentioned this before but my mom has osteoarthritis and she's the reason I walk. Besides, it's a fun little event and this is the third year it will be at the Santa Monica pier. I haven't raised much money - enough to get the obligatory event t-shirt - but it's getting more and more difficult to raise funds. It's no wonder none of the diseases and conditions get cured. We all know the government isn't helping.

Earlier in the week I saw my doctor. Most of my numbers - kidney, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure - were good. Only one number wasn't: my weight. Since becoming smoke-free back in August, I've gained weight. I know I need to do something; I just can't find the motivation. It doesn't help to have a mother who nags about it or friends who think they are my mother. I understand they love me and merely want me healthy and alive but I'm not exactly stupid. The scary thing is, I saw a friend of mine the other night and he kept telling me how hot I look. How are we supposed to do what's right - lose weight, eat correctly, exercise, et cetera - when the only time we're told we're hot is when we tip the scales at our heaviest?

Another strange thing: I've gained readers without posting! I'm not sure what that's about but for those of you who have joined - welcome!

To all my stalwart followers, thanks for hanging in there. Like I say in my picture above: I love you.

BEHR HUGS!


Weekend Woof

Cleanliness is next to godliness....

02 May 2011

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

I know you've all heard the news by now. Incredible, almost unbelievable, phenomenal, happy, joyous news.

Osama bin Laden. Dead.

I turned off the movie I was watching shortly before 8 pm Pacific Time so I could watch "Amazing Race." There was someone blah-blah-blahing about something or other. A picture caught my eye: bin Laden dead. I sat, enraptured. I grabbed my laptop and accessed Twitter and started reading the tweets coming fast and furious confirming the news. Then the tweets turned humorous and patriotic and you could FEEL the patriotism flowing through the tweets.

Did you watch President Obama speak? He did us proud. I dare the GOP to discredit anything he said. They will, you know there will be criticism and to those people I say STFU. Seriously. And the best part of Obama's speech? Mentioning equal rights for all its (America's) citizens.

I'm telling you...POTUS rocks. IMHO.

This is by no means the end of terrorism or Al Queda or those who hate America. But it is a mighty blow against those forces of evil.

In honor of this momentous action:



BEHR HUGS