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An Old Fashioned Fourth of July
To celebrate Independence Day, I looked for posts I’d done in the past about the Fourth of July family reunions that were so much a part of my childhood. I couldn’t find the posts. So instead, I’m running that chapter from my never-to-be-published memoir, Glass Houses. For background, Mom is the baby of eight Glass…
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My Island
I have my very own island. Taking care of the silly little thing is more trouble than it’s worth. I’m thinking about getting rid of it. A tropical island with palm trees, ocean breezes, and sandy beaches I’d keep. This isn’t that kind of island, or really even something I could put on Craig’s List…
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More Change
Like being gay, writing has always been a big part of who I am. In both cases, I was among the last to know what had long been obvious to just about everyone who knew me. Guess maybe I’m a little slow. “How could Michael Rupured be gay?” said nobody, ever. But I didn’t figure it…
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A Slight Miscalculation
Since at least September, I’ve looked forward to settling into my new normal. Living alone was supposed to mean more time to devote to my writing career. Those extra hours haven’t materialized. Apparently, I miscalculated. Knowing the transition to the bachelor lifestyle and moving would take time, I took a break from my writers group. From mid-2010 to…
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An Historical Perspective
Exploring the dating habits of contemporary gay men continues to require huge investments of time and energy. Data collection is ongoing. In fact, I see no end in sight. The larger the study population, the better the results. And as you know, I want only the best for my readers. Before we get to today,…
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Sliding Down Mount Cocky
I lost weight over winter for probably the first time in my life this year, coming within four pounds of a goal I set more than two years ago. By summer, I fully expected to be below my 200 pound goal for the first time in decades. Instead, my weight has slowly but surely gone up.…
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Coming Up Short
After the ex and I parted ways last fall, deciding to sell the house was a no-brainer. The place was half-again as much space as I could ever use. The one-acre lot — an asset when I moved in — had become a liability. Taking care of everything, inside and out, required far more work…
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Boy Scouts, Religion, & Homophobia
The 2013 Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia (HAHAT) has ended. The experience, from the easy-to-follow directions I received about what to do to feedback about my post, was nothing but positive. Thanks so much to the organizers for bringing attention to an important issue and for allowing me to participate. My HAHAT post is among the…
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Field Research: Unexpected Outcomes
I decided to write about my experience with the smartphone hookup apps to bring my readers up to speed on something I suspected they — you — knew little or nothing about. Most of you, including more than a few published authors of gay romance novels, are straight women. Reporting on my field research was…
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iDating: Results
If you’ve been following posts about my field research on the dating habits of contemporary gay men, by now you should have a pretty good idea how the smartphone apps function. No doubt, you’re also curious about my experience. Have I met anyone? Good question. But the better question, given my current state of mind,…