This is a picture of the classic Apple logo.
Listen.
Growing up I loved sitting on the screened in porch on the back of the house. It sat about 25 feet from the woods and it was peaceful and quiet. Breezes from Lake Ontario would make their way inland and they’d be accompanied by crickets and frogs making noise and the sounds of an approaching train way off in the distance. The cats would strategically place themselves about the back lawn, our dog would settle in under her house for the night. It was summertime and it was peaceful. I loved it.
Fast forward 38 years and I’m sitting on the balcony on our fifth floor condo in the city of Chicago. The breezes are blowing from Lake Michigan. The rumble of the ‘L’ visits periodically. Overhead lights indicate passengers on their way to and from O’Hare and farther in the distance, Midway. The ambience is different. The sounds are different. The vibe is more electric but I feel very relaxed.
Growing up I always loved being home because it was home. I still feel the same way. The place is different and I’ve moved from a little bit country to a little bit rock ‘n roll, but I love being home because it’s home.
Awesome.
As Earl and I were driving along the roads of Northwestern Illinois yesterday I asked him how he was doing on a more than normal basis. This was his first time on a ride in the Jeep since his surgery and since he’s been in recovery for only a couple of weeks, I was worried this might have been a little much for him.
I was wrong.
When I asked to his well being, my husband would respond in a very positive voice, “I’m doing great”. It’s this positivity that has brought him along in his recovery much faster than I ever thought he would progress. He would occasionally ask me how I was doing and I would say, “OK”. In reality, I was enjoying the moment, and I was feeling grounded in my element. When I can’t fly I enjoy going for long rides. It’s what I do. Earl’s response to my “OK” was, “I want you to be better than OK. I want you to be great! It’s all about the attitude.”
This led to a discussion about the world in general and how recent events in the country are really bothering me. This is when Earl told me something that helped adjust my attitude.
“They want you to be just OK. They want you to feel fine. But our life is better than OK. Our life is great. And it’s OK to be vocal to help others make their life great, but it’s important that we stay upbeat and positive as it’s the only way to beat the negativity.”
As always, my husband is completely right. It’s time to stop worrying and to put more positive energy in the world. The people in charge right now lead miserable lives and they want everyone around them to be miserable. Let’s counteract and shut this out with a whole bunch of awesome.
That’s how we can make the world a better place.
Open Road.
Earl and I just arrived back home after a 12 hour ride from Chicago to Iowa and back, exploring various nooks and crannies of Northwestern Illinois along the way.
It was very relaxing and a great way to escape the heat of the city. The sky was beautiful, the small towns interesting and we spent some time driving along the Mississippi River.
A great way to spend a Saturday.
Diversity.
One of the best things about living in the third largest city in the United States is the diversity. I love walking the streets and hearing languages I don’t know being used in regular conversation. I smile when I see a same-sex couple holding hands. I revel in the ability to do so with my husband. I appreciate the differences in our world when I see a person living life in religious garb that would probably get them screamed at in other parts of the country.
I am fully aware that I won the silver medal in the American birth right lottery: I’m white, I’m male. The only thing I’m missing is the straight part, so that’s why I say I won the silver instead of the gold. There’s nothing degrading about me in this assessment; it’s more of a commentary about American society. I think many forget that they’re American by sheer luck. They were born here in a society that unfortunately cares too much about skin color, sexual orientation, and gender definitions.
I care about a person’s character. Show me who you are through your actions. That’s what counts.
Lost In Writing.
Friends kept telling me that Earl and I just HAD to watch the “Lost In Space” reboot on Netflix. I watched episode one and I was mildly impressed, so I re-watched it with Earl to bring him on board and we’ve been watching the series on and off over the past couple of months. It’s not really a “bingeable” series in my book, but we started it and I suppose we need to finish the task.
I’m not sure where others are in their “Lost In Space” viewing so I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible.
The musical score is great. The CGI is very good for a television series. The sets, while looking quite Earth-like even though the show doesn’t take place on Earth, are decent. The stories become quite formulaic as the show goes on but they’re engaging.
The only thing I really don’t like about the show is the reboot of the character of Dr. Smith, played by Parker Posey.
First of all, I know that Parker Posey is a fairly talented actress, so I can’t figure out why she knows nothing outside of three facial expressions for her character. There’s “smug”, “manipulative”, and “confused”. She has nothing outside of these three facial expressions and all of them have the same accessory: her mouth agape and her hair poofed up. I get that she’s suppose to be the villain, but the character is so poorly written that there’s absolutely no redeeming quality to her presence at all. She doesn’t advance the plot. She doesn’t bring out anything remarkable in other characters. She distracts and detracts. A good villain is one where the audience can find something to identify with, even if the viewer lets their evil side loose for just a moment. There is nothing redeeming nor enjoyable about this Dr. Smith. Aside from her mouth agape and limit of three facial expressions, you know what she’s going to do, what she’s going to say, and that she’s going to mess something up along the way. One could easily fast-forward through her scenes and you wouldn’t miss a beat in the storyline.
The character is a waste of time.
I like the tech they’re showing. I like the team work and the family bonding and the science stuff behind the scenes. There’s some hokeyness to some of the science but then again, I grew up with a franchise that had transporter beams, so I can overlook a lot of the convenient science.
But the character with poofy hair and mouth agape on the screen? I wouldn’t mind if they blasted her out of an airlock in the trailer for season two. It might make me reconsider watching the show when it comes back next season.
Beer.
I don’t care if a bar is calling themselves a gay bar or a straight bar. Once upon a time I would seek out a gay bar but then again, once upon a time a gay bar was the only place a gay man would go. If I’m going out for a drink I’m looking for a friendly bar and the only label I’m looking for is “friendly”. It’s a harmony that should be prevalent in the world.
I enjoy the taste of beer and I enjoy trying different beers. I use the “Untappd” app on iOS and apparently I have tried over 350 unique beers in the past five years. The picture on my profile is from 2013. My attitude is from 2018.
When Earl and I first moved to Chicago we discovered a pub down the street called “The Globe Pub”. This pub is known for its allegiance to soccer and The World Cup; it’s not uncommon to see folks drinking and watching the World Cup at 10:00 on a weekday. The space had a great vibe to it; their beer list is quite complete. Back in April they announced they were closing for renovations but they promised to be open for the World Cup.
The opened in the nick of time.
Earl and I stopped their tonight and found it to have a familiar vibe with a lot more space. Stephanie (according to the receipt) is still behind the counter; I tried a couple of different beers I haven’t sampled before. One of the local microbreweries, Begyle Brewing, is feature on their draft beer list. The beer I tried tonight is one of their darker beers. Some of the darker beers have an ABV (Alcohol by Volume) of 14%. I tried one of those tonight and then I tapered off with an Oatmeal Stout from Begyle. The alcohol content was around 5%. Given a choice, I prefer dark beers over the cutting edge hoppy taste of IPAs. I like trying different beers. As I type this blog entry the heavier ABV beer is kicking in a bit. That’s prolly why they serve it in a fancy glass.
I’m happy that The Globe Pub is open. I suppose as a gay man I’m suppose to patronize the gay establishments but I couldn’t care less how a bar labels itself. If my husband can sit next to me, the bartender is friendly, the clientele is hospitable, and the beer selection is good, how does my sexual orientation fit into the equation?
Gosh, I sound like a millennial.
I like to call “The Globe Pub” our neighborhood “Regal Beagle” even though Suzanne Somers isn’t looking for an outrageous salary. There’s a bunch of sports on the television, the beer selection is good and the staff and customers are friendly, even when my husband calls me sweetie.
Living in the big city is awesome. Living near “The Globe Pub” is awesome too. I’m happy they’re back online.
