Public Transportation in U.S. and Europe Briefly Compared

One of the things I enjoyed the times I have been to Europe is how easy it is to get from place to place without a car. I was surprised when I moved back to my hometown that there is now public transportation, but it does not run frequently. When I went from Nice, France to a small town in Scotland in 1979 I was able to do so on buses trains and a ferry without any problem. It is more difficult go get to some small towns in the U.S. without a car or knowing someone with a car who will take you there. I never have understood the stigma attached to taking public transportation in a lot of this country. The stigma may be less in larger cities here, but I have had little experience with that here. I know that in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is a large city for this state, the bus system was easy to use, but it did not run as frequently as those in cities of Europe. I did take the Metro in Washington, but I do not remember how frequently the trains ran. When I was in Europe I did want to walk from place to place as much as possible, but mostly this was because I could leisurely see the cities. I did enjoy the public transportation systems in Paris and Prague. They were very convenient and ran frequently. When people in the U.S. hear that I do not drive they usually want to know why. The assumption is often made that I had lost my license for some reason. I never felt comfortable driving. I would prefer to live in a place with good public transportation for a couple of reasons. One of these is that I do not have to bother with the expenses of owning a car, gas, insurance, upkeep, etc. I also like to be independent, and I have more freedom if I can take public transportation or walk. On buses, trams and subways there is also more of a possibility of meeting people. Another of my favorite memories of Prague took place on the Metro. While I was riding on the train three young guys got on board with a bottle of wine. They wanted to practice English. We passed the bottle around and had a good time talking. I wish I could have practiced my Czech with them, but I had other opportunities for that. I have made friends on buses in various cities in the U.S. I have even met some guys whose cocks I sucked. Unfortunately that has not happened in Europe yet. I want so much to go back to Europe and travel around and experience more things. That includes, but is not limited to, sex with European men. Hopefully some day I will be able to return.

Dancing to an Irregular Beat

Sometimes I enjoy moving to music with a strong, irregular beat. It can be fun trying to figure how to vary the dance to fir the rhythm. You can do completely different movements or variations to the same movements. I have never been very fond of doing dances that have been invented, like the moonwalk, the robot or running man for instance. I prefer to freestyle. I may take elements from these dances. I dance more for myself than for others. Sometimes I have been moved to dance to music to which few other people that I knew danced to. When I was in school whenever I heard the music of Kraftwerk I felt the urge to dance. I do admit that I did enjoy dancing to Disco music, but there was very little of it to which I wanted to listening when not dancing. My favorite ballets are those by Стравинский, Шостакович, Bartók and Прокофьев. (Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, I just felt like being pretentious for a minute there.) I am especially fond of Le sacre du printemps and Petrushka by Stravinsky, I cannot sit completely still when I hear these pieces. My least favorite type of music intended for dance is the waltz. Most waltzes I find extremely boring. I enjoy cumbias, mambos, sambas and bachatas, but these can get boring after awhile. If somebody mixed these with punk we might have some fun music like the gypsy punk from Gogol Bordello. I enjoy the way that Puya, a band from Puerto Rico, blended traditional Latin-American musical styles with metal. I also like the way In Extremo from Germany blend Medieval music and metal. I like to mix things up. Years ago a friend was working in a store where they played Baroque music, but there was a glitch in the tape they were using. There was a brief section where that music was interrupted by Disco. He said that the customers immediately changed how they were moving. Find your own rhythm, dance to it and have a fucking blast.

Why All the Controversy?

For some of us just to appear in public causes controversy. There is not sense in this. People who do not conform to the so called norm are too often expected to walk in shame. It is too seen as an act of bravery for many of us to hold our heads up in self acceptance and pride. We should all be able to walk down the street and say, "I am who I am, and I will not let anyone else define or label me. If someone has multiple tattoos and piercings it does not hurt anyone they encounter. The only reason I do not have more tattoos and piercings is financial. It has nothing to do with what other people might think. If someone's pants  are sagging, what harm does it do to you? If someone is large or very thin, and they are happy with who they are that should not be the concern of anyone else. People with scars and deformations are expected to hide these things from public view as if these things were something to be ashamed of. Why is it that those who were wounded fighting for liberty are often led to be embarrassed by the scars left by those injuries? Why is it that there are postings online for ridicule  pictures of people who go to WalMart at night revealing parts of their anatomy that they are afraid to show during the day? I am embarrassed and ashamed that I have laughed at these photos too.  I no longer do this. These are people with feelings. We do not know what they are going through. Some of these people may wear what is considered to be unusual clothing, but it does not harm anyone. What is harmful is the posting of these photographs with unkind words. Who has the right to criticize a black woman or man for wearing their hair in its natural state? No one has this right. I get angry at the thought of someone using derogatory words to refer to this. Why is it that gender roles in regards to dress and make up are  expected to be followed by all people when they are in public? I remember that it took a lot of courage for me to appear in public wearing high-heeled boots. THe spectrum of gender identity is very broad, and we should all be able to wear clothing in which we feel comfortable. We should focus less on how others act, dress, etc. and more on treating other with the respect. All people are worthy of being treated with respect.

A Ship in Harbor Is Safe, but That's not Why Ships Are Built."

Here are my two favorite sayings from fortune cookies:"Beware of cookies bearing fortunes," and "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built." I like the first for its absurdity. The second is mostly true, but a ship in harbor is not completely safe. It is usually safer there than away from harbor. If we want to progress we have to get out of our comfort zones. Sometimes there are setbacks, but we have to take chances. Sometimes this even means getting away from cliches and finding our own way of speaking. That does not mean leaving the safety of our harbors at the wrong time. I am not saying to wait until circumstances are ideal, but not to leave the harbor when there are dark storm clouds forming. I learned that lesson when I went to Rhode Island. I din have some fun there, but the cost was very high. I should not have ignored the warnings. Another of the warnings I should have paid attention to was that this jerk was insisting on my changing my last name to his. I kept saying that I wanted to wait until the time was right, and I wanted to hyphenate it. I don't think either of us really heard what the other was saying when we were discussing that. The main way in which I want to leave my harbor is to speak up against injustice and prejudice not matter what the circumstance. I am not always comfortable doing this, but my comfort is not what matters. With practice it is becoming easier. It does not always make me popular, but it can make a difference. I have been guilty too often of remaining silent in the face of injustice. No longer will this be true.

My Voice Will Be Heard

I never thought I would be interested in doing anything political again. The last time I volunteered is something I find very embarrassing. I volunteered at the Republican headquarters during Gerald Ford' run for office. The only reason I can think of why I supported him was that my father had been a Republican, but that really does not make much sense. He did not influence many of my views. I was politically naive at that time. Fortunately I recovered from that conservative spell after going to UNC-G. It is funny that for a brief time I considered myself a Republican. While in college I went from that to being a socialist. I have fluctuated in my liberalism at times, but I have never gone back to being conservative. I still have very strong socialist leanings, and I strongly believe in human rights. I do want to get involved more actively in making changes in the political system in this country as long as I am here. As I have stated before if I could I would gladly move to Central or Eastern Europe, but as long as I am here I am committed in making my voice heard and urging others to speak out for reform. I am not sure what actions I will take, and I am just getting started. I am also starting to speak out LGBTQ rights, racial equality, women's rights, and true religious freedom. I have been silent too long. This has ended.

A Great Way to Start the Day and Dreams for the Future

Drinking coffee and listening to Gogol Bordello - a great way to wake up. It is not the best way to wake up, but it is one of the best ways. The best way to wake up would be to wake up next to a man I love after sleeping all night in his arms. Of course we would have made love before going to sleep. We could wake up quietly or we could wake up and drink coffee and listen to Gogol Bordello. Ideally I would be with someone with whom I could speak multiple languages and enjoy multiple activities. These activities would not be limited to sex. I would get up and get get coffee ready. IF we are in the mood we could get rowdy and freestyle dance to gypsy punk. Another possibility would be for us to have sex again, anything from vanilla to slightly kinky - depending on out mood. If he woke up with a hard I would want to take care of that. What would make me happiest would be to make him happy. We would both be open to the possibilities of the days. Hopefully we would be living in a place where we could go for a walk hand in hand. If we were both off from work we could start off with a walk. I would make breakfast for us before or after the walk. Ideally there would be secluded woods in which we could, and if we had not had sex at home we could do that in the woods. I love sucking dick in the open air. Our communication would definitely be open. Both of us would listen to what the other said. If we felt like saying fuck or kurva or anything else we would say it. We would be able to state our true feelings on any topic. Maybe we could start a revolution of gay non-racist skinhead lovers of gypsy punk. Ideally I would be able to make a living as a writer by this time, and on the days when he is working I would spend most of the day writing, but I would also keep the house clean and have a good dinner waiting for him when he got home. This would not be because of a sense of obligation but because it is what I would love doing. I would not neglect taking care of myself, but I would do things for both of us. I would not want to be with someone who did not treat me with love and respect, and I would treat him the same way. We would enjoy good music, good food, good beer and hot sex together. We would hold hands and work for a common future together not giving a fuck what other people think.

This is our country and we need to take it back.

I am starting to think that another reform that needs to be made in the election process is the banning or advertising for political campaigns. As it is the people who end up being truly represented by elected officials are the ones who donate the most money to their campaigns. In many cases it is the very rich and corporations who are the ones who sway politicians. Many elected officials forget the people who voted them into office. Many people have stopped believing that their vote counts. We need to change this. We can make a difference. If we vote for those who truly work for the people and urge other people to do the same we can make a difference. Alone we cannot make much difference, but if we speak up together and take this country back from the rich and the corporations we can have a non-violent revolution. We have to remind the government loudly that corporations are not people but paper. Corporations do not have the same rights as people. We need to stand up to people like the Koch brothers and let them know that we are tired of their bullshit. We need to boycott the companies that they own. There are places online where these companies are listed. This is our country and we need to take it back.