Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Donald Trump (HBO)

This is well worth a watch even if it is over 20 minutes long. John Oliver demolishes DT and it is not only true but funny.

THE HATE AND LIES CONTINUE

As one of my Facebook readers said, a rare sign for those who are
prone to express such sentiments:
All of the words are spelled correctly

BUT OF COURSE IT IS OK IF THEY WAVE THEIR BIBLES AND PUT A CROSS AND AN AMERICAN FLAG ON IT AND BRAND IT AS REPUBLICAN.

As I say in the epilogue of my memoir:
"Our sexuality, our gayness, is mostly invisible to others. Coming out and being out involves being visible—both when we look in the mirror and when others see us. Sometimes, in order to be visible to others, we have to be “in their face.”

Sometimes we need to tell our stories, each of us, story after story, after story, until they “get it.”
Because “they” are still trying to define “us,” tell us who they think we are, tell us that we are objectively disordered or immoral or sinful or worse.

Who are “they” and who do they think they are?

Unfortunately “they” are not only the ignorant and bigoted, but often otherwise intelligent and sometimes even well-meaning individuals. Why do “they” think they know more about our sexuality, or us, than we do? More to the point, why do they care?

Certainly “they” outnumber “us” and we’ve always been an easy target. Does their inability to save our souls or change us, or to limit our freedom somehow make them inadequate or fearful? What is in it for “them” that they so persist?

It amazes and frustrates me that our stories—the actual lived experience of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals—are so summarily ignored, discounted, and dismissed.

It baffles me that many vocal and influential individuals persist in holding to and disseminating absurd, erroneous, and irrelevant opinions about us.

This is unacceptable and can no longer be tolerated.

“They” can only make their own positions tenable by repeating questionable scriptures, fabricated “studies,” pseudo-science, and OUTRIGHT LIES —and repeating them over and over as they wholly disregard us and our voices.

Provincetown For Sale

The Provincetown we have known and loved has been changing for years, and some might say, not for the better.

I have complained before how the town, the accommodations, the restaurants, the bars, the retail stores, even the coffee and ice cream have all been moving toward the outer reaches of affordability.

And now this.

McMillan Wharf has been sold  to a super wealthy marina developer who wants to bring in lots of yachts and even more wealthy people who will demand more and more expensive amenities.

McMillan Wharf Sold to Developer

So this is progress?

Provincetown is being SOLD piece by piece to the UltraWealthy. The yachts will dock and they will stay at the "boutique" hotel. 

They will demand taxis and uber drivers, the restaurant prices will increase further, LGBT folk will slowly retreat to Truro or the lower Cape, Neiman Marcus will open a summer retail outlet called Neiman Lite, and the only grocery store in town will be Whole (paycheck) Foods.

I swear if Donald Trump moves into town I will never set foot in Provincetown again.

Oh, but the sewer system will fail eventually.

The old fishermen's wives are turning in their graves, I'm sure.

Yachts will replace fishing boats

But the shark ain't in the water.

The little boats will be welcome, but can they afford a boat slip in the new upscale marina?

Another Little Blurb on Cochiti Lake

Hello to all of you. 

I wish I had enough time to tell you EVERYTHING, but I will suffice with a few brief notes.

Cochiti Lake: A tiny town on the Cochiti Pueblo Reservation with a very interesting history if anyone wishes to read it. (History of Cochiti Lake) 

Cochiti Lake: A tiny town that in many respects is only slightly off the radar and, while not exactly a well kept secret, is quiet enough not to attract much attention. There is no casino here as there is on many of the reservations. There is a PGA highly rated golf course, a small restaurant, a gas station, a convenience store, a Fire and EMS service and a great little library. Not to forget the Lake and the campground for summer recreation.

Cochiti Lake: About 240 homes +/- and about 500 residents +/-. It is about 5-10 degrees warmer here than in Santa Fe and a lot less snow - we have no snow on the ground as I write this, though there is a chance of snow later today. When it does snow it lasts a day, maybe a few days in the shadows. 

The difference between sun and shadow is like the moon - it can be 40 in the shade and 65 in the sun. Hoping that holds true in summer as well.

There has been a big influx of new people here in Cochiti Lake in the last year or so, and I would say young people though most are in their 50’s and 60’s - we are replacing the real old folks who are dying off in their 80’s or 90’s or moving out to retirement homes or assisted living or to live with sons or daughters.

Anyhow, the town is attractive to many artists and writers, many of whom come here to be near Santa Fe without all of the pretense and cut-throat attitudes. People are here from all over the US and some are from nearby Pueblos. 

What a very interesting mix we all are. Perhaps it is a little age and lots of life experience that gives the residents here so much character. The stories people share about their lives before Cochiti are fascinating. Even those who've lived here for many years have had interesting lives and a wealth of information to share.

Almost everyone here has a dog or two, if not a cat or two. Many of us meet in the morning to walk or hike with our dogs and the usual trek is at least two miles.

We know more neighbors here in 2 months than we did in 15 years in Bristol, CT. (In Bristol we were never in our neighbors’ homes during those 15 years; here we’ve been invited to many homes for parties, for dinner, for casual visits, for artists' get togethers, etc.)

I have met with the new writer’s groups here - there are about six of us. It is quite unstructured at present, but the writing the others shared was quite powerful and enticing. All of us have been published.

Yesterday one of the local artists held a get-together for the town's artists - I thought I qualified on some level, so went. 

There were 12 or 14 people there: Painters, stained glass artists, wood carvers, photographers, pastel painters, other visual arts, writers, potters and ceramics, and combinations of the aforementioned. 

If you get a chance, go to Mountain Meadows Cemetary Chapel in Seymour, CT where you can see an example of the beautiful work of one of our artists, Krysia Napiorkowski of Terryville, CT: http://www.krysiadesignsstainedglass.com/stained-glass-commissions.html

(Yes, my neighbor Krysia up the street in Cochiti Lake is from Terryville,CT - the neighboring town to Bristol, CT! She is a sweetheart. She did a whole series of windows for that chapel. Really spectacular.)

Sometimes I can't believe we are really here - that we are so far from what we were used to for so, so many years. But sometimes I feel right at home. 

Almost everyone we meet was somehow drawn here by either the beauty, the climate, the views, the sunshine, the quiet, the remoteness, the art, the culture, dare I say the spirituality - OK, I'll hold off on that one - and most seem happy with their choice.

Cochiti Lake: A tiny town, remote without being too far from anything - 35 minutes to Santa Fe, 45 minutes to Albuquerque - shopping, culture, restaurants, entertainment. 

However, if you must satisfy your craving for Chinese at the drop of a hat, sorry. Take-out is not around the corner.

But otherwise, it is quite the place.