tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.comments2024-03-26T08:11:26.710-07:00AGING GAYLY Aging Gaylyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comBlogger1126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-17362507075754622892024-03-26T08:11:26.710-07:002024-03-26T08:11:26.710-07:00He was a very good friend. I know our friendship w...He was a very good friend. I know our friendship would have deepened. Alas, there wasn't enough time for two people who moved at a snail's pace!Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-85938062036781978132024-03-26T07:36:05.157-07:002024-03-26T07:36:05.157-07:00Sounds like Farrell was a good friend! Thank you ...Sounds like Farrell was a good friend! Thank you for sharing these memories and experiences from a Time when the world moved a bit slower.John L. Harmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356443071657836985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-22039363105359718752024-03-12T07:52:53.101-07:002024-03-12T07:52:53.101-07:00It's definitely my mix tape of the moment. Gue...It's definitely my mix tape of the moment. Guess it's just for me right now. Others can click and listen to a tune or two, hopefully feeling a sense of relief that, while the beat might be good, the lyrics mean nothing to them. Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-84811513800148954442024-03-11T22:48:41.065-07:002024-03-11T22:48:41.065-07:00Whether you realised it or not you just made what ...Whether you realised it or not you just made what we would have called a break-up mixed tape in the 90s, a mixed tape CD from the 00s, or I guess now-a-days it would be a Youtube playlist or Spotify playlist? <br /><br />The question though, is to whom you are gifting it!? It sounds like an impending meet-cute.oskyldighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18421614450051721172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-71645475960234068582024-03-07T09:07:13.009-08:002024-03-07T09:07:13.009-08:00Such a fun trip. So different! Wonderful memories....Such a fun trip. So different! Wonderful memories...Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-87420116022634149722024-03-06T20:44:02.580-08:002024-03-06T20:44:02.580-08:00I'm glad you came to Minneapolis. I have fon...I'm glad you came to Minneapolis. I have fond memories growing up with Mary as my mom watched the show. I had no idea she was at Kowalskis in the opener!Minnesota BOUNDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05870296858906088128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-30981634856770652952024-03-06T06:27:21.798-08:002024-03-06T06:27:21.798-08:00Really appreciate your comment, oskyldig! Yes, the...Really appreciate your comment, oskyldig! Yes, the post is very slanted in its focus on what he said and thought, a natural thing under the circumstances because he was the one making the decision to end things. The choice was solely his. <br /><br />Now, with it over, I control the recovery. This is when what I say and think will matter. You're exactly right. I need to find myself again as a capable and complete individual who finds other sources of joy in life. Thanks for that reminder, a nudge to move forward. Not quite there yet, but I'll get there.Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-10903331262411131842024-03-03T23:46:10.824-08:002024-03-03T23:46:10.824-08:00Oy! So sorry to hear; this was hard to read since ...Oy! So sorry to hear; this was hard to read since you put too much weight on what he says or thinks. You will be fine, and I hope that the time after your breakup can reteach you how to love yourself and find joy in things you love. :)oskyldighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18421614450051721172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-39212159213429204132024-02-20T07:45:35.385-08:002024-02-20T07:45:35.385-08:00Thanks, John. I can't make sense of that eithe...Thanks, John. I can't make sense of that either. He said a couple of times, "Why did you even come?" It made no sense. I'd checked in that morning. Come, he'd said. And so I did. I anticipated a tough talk, something we'd get through. By the time I arrived, his dark, dismissive view of me was set in stone. The trip and anything I might say was pointless. Terrible way to end things.Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-78335192215090613102024-02-19T14:38:01.954-08:002024-02-19T14:38:01.954-08:00I am truly sorry you experience this, James. The o...I am truly sorry you experience this, James. The one thing that I can't wrap my head around is the fact he let you fly all the way to Denver just to dump you. John L. Harmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356443071657836985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-86447034084084389992024-01-10T19:38:06.221-08:002024-01-10T19:38:06.221-08:00Thanks for your comment, Stephen. Belonging. That ...Thanks for your comment, Stephen. Belonging. That seems to be one of life's great quests. I want so much to get my next book published and I'd love for gay themes to be at the centre of it. I know a thing or two about gay realities, from lived experiences and from lots of observing. I'm still hopeful my manuscript will find its place, between two covers and on bookshelves.Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-18173172594324034972024-01-09T20:38:21.007-08:002024-01-09T20:38:21.007-08:00You belong. There seems to be a new enlightenment...You belong. There seems to be a new enlightenment about sexuality and being that is taking center stage, rightfully so. At the end of the day, a good book, a good read ,will be published. Authors wrote under pseudonyms for many a reason. Maybe you should try that?Stephen in Seattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18199734451824724688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-65372225336583332522024-01-08T19:29:16.118-08:002024-01-08T19:29:16.118-08:00Thanks for your comment, Rick! I hate that our ide...Thanks for your comment, Rick! I hate that our identity is regarded as a "trend" and dismissed as one that is over. <br /><br />The fact that any minority would pit us against them as an either-or choice shows that there needs to be a continued push for diversity of all kinds. I will always support other minorities and I have made a conscious effort to do so in my writing, including on this blog. <br /><br />However, I've become more aware of how I still need to advocate for myself and other gay men. There are so many perspectives and stories we have to share that deserve to be widely read. It does start with us. As I've said in this post, if we're not reading gay work, how can we expect others to do so? <br /><br />Is this all self-serving? In many ways, yes, of course. But after living much of my life suppressed in various degrees, I think advocating for myself and other gay writers is a huge part of my ongoing quest to feel Pride and to sense that we truly belong. Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-22984190149434041882024-01-08T16:44:07.009-08:002024-01-08T16:44:07.009-08:00♥♥Rick Modienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02157314737543591048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-2045453753673844232024-01-07T17:30:01.870-08:002024-01-07T17:30:01.870-08:00Gregory, thank you so much for speaking for me too...Gregory, thank you so much for speaking for me too. You know you and I have had this conversation numerous times, and I couldn't agree more with everything you captured here.<br /><br />At the risk of sounding like I'm going too much in the opposite direction, I'm ninety percent done reading books about or by straight writers, fiction or nonfiction—which I've spent most of my life doing because that's all there was—focusing instead on supporting, particularly in the dollars I choose to spend, gay writers. It's time. It's time for all of us to support gay writers writing about us, what it means to be us, the diversity in our own community. We haven't begun to scratch the surface of what that looks like yet. The stories we're not reading. The stories we need to read.<br /><br />This blog post needs a wider audience; it needs to reach as many gay men as possible. Doesn't mean all the gay men it reaches will buy gay and read gay, but many will. And that's a start. Have you considered submitting it, or a version of it, for publication? What about Out magazine? Or The Advocate?Rick Modienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02157314737543591048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-25592759238557913222024-01-05T08:18:36.971-08:002024-01-05T08:18:36.971-08:00Thanks, John. I follow a number of self-published ...Thanks, John. I follow a number of self-published authors and I am learning from them. I feel both awe and appreciation for how they put themselves and their work out there. Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-18628765621196468992024-01-05T05:02:51.487-08:002024-01-05T05:02:51.487-08:00I don't know if I was brave or just tired of t...I don't know if I was brave or just tired of trying to be traditional. Lol <br /><br />Now, almost 11 years later, I'm still not really sure how to market my books, but it doesn't stop me from trying.<br /><br />There are many options available out there, so I hope you find the right one for you, james, when you decide to release another book! John L. Harmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356443071657836985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-91766878642068088032024-01-04T07:08:31.511-08:002024-01-04T07:08:31.511-08:00I've considered self-publishing...and I'm ...I've considered self-publishing...and I'm still thinking about it. I know that, whether self-published or traditionally published, much of a book's promotion falls to the writer. I had a book published fifteen years ago and learned a little too late about some ways to better market the book. Still, I don't feel I have enough chutzpah to do it on my own. Kudos to you, John, for putting yourself and your work out there!Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-60302412007775522932024-01-04T04:33:48.439-08:002024-01-04T04:33:48.439-08:00As a writer and reader of queer fiction, I totally...As a writer and reader of queer fiction, I totally hear what you're saying about writing being a solitary venture. I self-publish because I tried the traditional route and it didn't work for me, so it's even more of an uphill battle because there is still the stigma of self-published books not being "real books". <br /><br />Think for illuminating some very good points and encouraging more reading! John L. Harmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356443071657836985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-59859617203331127132023-12-16T10:41:02.870-08:002023-12-16T10:41:02.870-08:00Thanks! It's so much fun to do. I am certainly...Thanks! It's so much fun to do. I am certainly rewarded. I do hope it lifts other people's spirits.<br />Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-45143407467420134512023-12-14T13:52:49.207-08:002023-12-14T13:52:49.207-08:00How lovely! I hope the community enjoys your labou...How lovely! I hope the community enjoys your labour! oskyldighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18421614450051721172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-68080908111174957012023-09-06T14:32:28.067-07:002023-09-06T14:32:28.067-07:00This memoir stands out. Lamya is not just letting ...This memoir stands out. Lamya is not just letting life happen. She's trying to figure it out. Her memoir feels like a swim in the deep end compared to so many shallow dives I've come across in the last few years.Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-52614528877713526402023-09-06T11:41:34.498-07:002023-09-06T11:41:34.498-07:00But don’t you fell as if everyone one of us is on ...But don’t you fell as if everyone one of us is on a journey? Most of the gay memoirs I’ve read and liked have been written by celebrities and not (gasp) d list celebrities. the others I’ll leave to you unless they’re hiding within whatever fictional novel I’m currently readingLawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00460179134582520342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-2987579005048667652023-07-14T18:08:46.908-07:002023-07-14T18:08:46.908-07:00Juries still out, but I'm willing to have anot...Juries still out, but I'm willing to have another go of it.Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7857795538755708479.post-53711438964101900492023-07-11T07:47:22.780-07:002023-07-11T07:47:22.780-07:00It's a book worth tracking down. As I read it,...It's a book worth tracking down. As I read it, I kept Googling different things that were mentioned as well as some other memories I recalled thanks to the political issues Baume weaves into the chapters. Aging Gaylyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09886888900957765438noreply@blogger.com