May God Bless ALL of our Troops

Good Day!

First a quick update...No big change on Operation Dentist...Only that my Dad was telling a friend the story of my dentist visit and the woman screamed because she too ran out of this Dentist's office.  Anyway on to the blog.

I hope you all are having a commemorative and reflective Memorial Day.  I have the utmost respect and gratitude for all those men and women who serve our Country and protect our Freedoms.  If only our leaders respected their lives as much as many of us do..this world world not have useless wars as it currently does.   Ok off my soapbox for a bit...When thinking about Memorial Day and what it means to me, I thought of a few stories to share with you.

My Family has a long history of serving our Country. I even had relatives in the Civil War,  unfortunately he fought for the South and was captured by the North...luckily he was pardoned by President Lincoln only a few days before his assassination.  My Dad's Father, Sidney served in France as a medic in the First World War.  Both of my Uncles, Ira and Eddie fought valiantly in World War 2...Ira in the Philippians and Eddie all over Europe.  Eddie lost much of his hearing from all of the bombing.  My Father and his cousin David also served.  My father was sent to a very dangerous location...Fort Dix, New Jersey..He served as an Assistant Chaplain, I know his guidance and faith helped many.  I am proud of my family's great and selfless history of service.

The closest I ever got to wearing a uniform was as a Cub Scout.  Now, I was possibly the WORST Cub Scout ever.  I loved the uniform and the arts and crafts, but sucked at everything else.  I remember those darn wooden car races.  My Dad and I knew nothing about making the car go fast.  I always lost in the first round.  The only other activity I enjoyed as a Cub Scout was marching in the Annual Memorial Day Parade with my troop.  I marched with pride and honor...ok, maybe it was more of a skip than a march, but I worked that uniform (see below)

As we commemorate Memorial Day this year.  I am truly hopeful and a bit sad.  We are on the edge of a truly great day  A day when great gay men and women soldiers don't have to lie to their country in order to serve their country.  Where gay soldiers don't have to only fear their enemy, but also fear their brothers in arms.  Where gay soldiers who are willing to die for you and I are in fear 24/7 of being thrown out of the Military not for what they do, but for who they are.  And finally today, I think of and cry for all soldiers who have died for our country, who fought hand in hand, black, white, gay or straight.  I pray that this year end the brutal witch hunt in our military.

May God Bless ALL of America!
Be Patriotic, Be Blessed. Be Superb
R

Little Shop of Horrors

Well, I have a story for you today. This story is a perfect example of why I wanted to do this blog. So here goes...

Now yesterday I had my fully pre-arranged dentist's appointment to take care of a tooth that broke a few weeks ago. Dentists are difficult here for me since there are only about 3 that accept the Medical Assistance Plan that I have because of my disability. I made the appointment at a Dentist's Office about an hour's drive from Green Bay. When I made the appointment, I made sure to ask the most important question....Is the office Wheelchair accessible? The answer was "Yes, You would have to enter from the rear door"(OK..no gay jokes) I then double checked by saying I have a big wheelchair...her response was "No Problem".

So off my Medivan driver and I go to see the dentist. Luckily I got a great driver. Now this is one of the longer trips I have taken since I moved to Green Bay and I discovered that the roads suck big time. Bumpy as hell. So about halfway there, I was feeling a bit queasy...Luckily the roads calmed down and so did my stomach. Then finally I see the sign for the town we are headed to... Now "City" is a exaggerated word for the one-street town we ended up in Coleman Wisconsin...Estimated population ...893 people. As we drove down the Mayberry like Main Street, my heart and stomach were falling quickly. There weren't any cars in the street and we even did a u-turn in the middle of the street when we passed by the Dentist's Office. We had ARRIVED!

We parked in the back of the building right next to the bee infested trash bins. Ahh...We found the rear door which we discovered had a 3 inch step to get in. Now my wheelchair and steps don't agree with each other. So my driver opened the door and yelled in....no answer..OK..so now we stepped around to the front and met another patient who informed us that the front door was locked. So we all went to the back entrance and waited. Finally a car pulled up and two nurses stepped out...one saying "OK lets get you in there" I tried and tried to get in, I gunned the motor, people pushed...nothing...my wheels had no traction to get up the step. Finally my driver suggested putting the rubber mat inside the door, over the step to get traction. We pushed again and Up I went.. Into the first back room...Now I had to get through a smaller door...I could hear the wood crumbling and straining as I made it through that door... now I was in a workroom/lunchroom. I had 3 more doors to get through but this was as far as I was going. It kind reminded me of Willy Wonka where the doors keep getting smaller. I was in as far as I was getting. The nurse told me.."There is no way we can do xrays back here and we can't do anything without xrays, but I still want you to see the Doc when he gets here". She then left me and my driver alone in the room.

So now we were alone to survey the surroundings...On one side were dusty shelves and counter with some sort of dark crumbs. On the other side there were a number of old machines that had a layer of dust or crud on them...Then there was the sink from HELL! It looked like it had not been washed out in a few years...around the sink were coffee cup circles embedded into the counter along with white stains and crud. I looked at my driver and mouthed..."LET"S GET THE F--K OUT OF HERE! Well then the nurse came back to fill out paperwork with me. I remained calm. When she left, a door next to my driver kind of shook hard..That was it for her, she told me she would meet me outside. OK so now I am in this dirty hallway..waiting for the Doc..I'm thinking..no one will believe this whole thing..So I got out my cellphone..and took a picture of the sink and counter area. I would have taken more, but my phone clicked loudly. Now I just need to figure out if i could download the pic from my phone.

In walks the Dentist from the bathroom...A very nice friendly looking 80 year old man. He said "Let's see what we have here...oops I have to wash my hands" my mind exploded thinking...IN THE FILTHY SINK...OMG...As I watched him washing them, I notice he had quite a shaking going on in his hands. I opened wide for him and he saw that i have two teeth broken one being a wisdom tooth. Then he gave me the best news...he could not treat me there...All color returned to my face. He said he will refer me to a Dental Surgeon. His nurse will give me the info. She followed up telling me where to call..She kind of treated me like I was not able to understand what she wanted me to do..It must have been that terrified look still etched on my face. After tearing more wall down trying to vacate the premises as fast as I could, we hopped in the van and sped away. As we drove, I filled the driver in. I asked her if she knew where this other clinic was.. She did..It's about 2 hours away from Green Bay. I turned green again very quickly.

So I still have two broken teeth, the knowledge that I get car sick, and the prospect of a four hour car trip, not to mention the removal of who knows how many teeth. But I did survive The Little Shop of Horrors" Oh..and I called the office this morning to see if they could refer me to a closer surgeon..She informed me that I left soo quickly that I left my Insurance Card there..It's in the mail..lol

I will keep you updated in the tooth adventure...BTW..the teeth feel a bit better, I think I scared the hurt out them. A Funny Life..HUH!

All for now,
Brush daily and Be Superb

Scales of Time

Hello All,

I want to start by saying thank you for all the kind and wonderful suggestions and comments that you posted in response to my blog "In and Out".  Everyone seemed to say what I was thinking myself, but it is always difficult to tear down new walls.  As of now, I am planning on attending the Green Bay "Pride Alive" festivities. I will be out, proud and hopefully will have fun.  It is a great comfort knowing that I have such wonderful friends all around the Country who support me and what I do in my life.  Thank you all!

I had an all kind of good and bad medical week.  I had a visit this week with my Endocrinologist...my diabetes doctor.  Now I have been going to her ever since I had my medical crisis almost 3 years ago.  Together we have worked hard to get my diabetes under control and I am happy to say I have  come a long way with it.  Now, my last favorite part of my visit is getting weighted.  The scale is one that I can drive my wheelchair on to.  The bad news here was that I drove a bit to far and became stuck on the scale. It took three lovely nurses to get me unstuck.  Then the good news..I lost 30 pounds in 5 months.  Woohoo!..The funny thing about this scale is that the longer you stay on the lower your weight goes...My kind of scale!

The next day I had my yearly appointment with the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Clinic.  They assess the current stages of my disease and see if there is anything they can help me with.  MDA has been a vital part of my life, both emotionally and monetarily.  They are currently going to pay for my boot/brace to be fixed. Of course for the second day in a row, they wanted to get my weight...a guy could get a complex.  They wanted this one without the chair.  Well the bad news was that I was 100 lbs more then I thought.  But I had still lost 30 lbs. I will be happy to not see another scale for a few months. 

And now, this Tuesday I have a dentists appointment because I broke a tooth and can't chew on the left side of my mouth without screaming bloody murder.  Now as you have learned, I always try to find the good in every situation.  So,, because the closest dentist that will take medicare is an hour away, I get to see a whole different part of Wisconsin on Tuesday.  Only my 3rd visit out of the Green Bay city limits in 11 years ...YAY...I'm sooooo excited. lol

This is all part of my life, I hope it doesn't sound like complaining...just documenting  the joys, sorrows, questions, triumphs as I live my funny life.  Thank you for caring enough to follow along.

Be Sunny, Be Light and Be Superb!
R

Email that was passed on to me.

Hey Friend's,
A friend sent this email to me and it was just too good to not pass along.
R.


This is brilliant! We need more Prof's with a sense of humor like this one.


In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:



Dear Dr. Laura:



Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of debate.



I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.



1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?



2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?



3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.



4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?



5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?



6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?



7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?



8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?



9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?



10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)



I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.



Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.



Your adoring fan.





James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

(It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian :)

In and Out

Hey Bloggees,

Thank you for all of the good wishes sent my Dads way. He is feeling much better and continues to heal. I am so lucky to have him, Kathy and lots of wonderful people in my life. That includes all of you who read this blog too. From time to time I do need advise in my life. And I need to ask you all for some today.

As I have stated before, I have no doubt that I have been gay my whole life. It was never a choice or decision. It is just who I am. I came out to my parents when I was about 24. I wrote them a letter when I was in therapy in the Eating Disorder Clinic I mentioned in a previous blog. I wrote a letter telling them i was gay, that I smoke and had gotten high...I guess I thought I would get it all out at once..If they didn't have a heart attack or disown me, I was gonna be OK. Fortunately I have wonderful understand loving parent. All was fine. I was one of the lucky ones.

Now I have always been out to my closest friends. I can count the number of Gay Bars that I've been to on one hand. When I first came out to my first gay friend at 20 y/o, I discovered that the gay world was probably more judgmental then the straight world. Overweight men are not the ideal. Now South Florida has quite a big gay community and the travel company that I worked for had quite a few gay people...I felt very comfortable being out and who I am. I even did drag... well...not great drag for Halloween one year...Thanks Michelle! Every year for about 10 years in Florida, I would attend the Pride Festival each summer. It was the one day a year that I was totally out and felt good and not self conscious about my weight.

When I moved to Green Bay, I started over. with all my health problems, being gay didn't really make much of a difference. Of course my best friends and my family knew, but most of my caretakers do not know. I have no gay friend here..only over the computer. Now yesterday,I saw an advertisement for Green Bay's Pride Alive...a pride festival. Now here is the problem. I would love to go, but that would mean the possibility of my caretakers finding out. plus I would have to take the medivan there. I don't know that I want all their drivers gossiping about me. Green Bay is much smaller than Ft. Lauderdale. Do I just bite the bullet and not give a shit what people think, or keep the status quo . Any advise for me?

I am not ashamed in any way of being gay...I just am afraid to open myself up to criticism and possible hate.
Thank you for listening.
Be Superb!
R