Whatever the reason that you’re celebrating this time of the year, I want to wish the very best to each and every one of you for a very safe and happy holiday! May the joy of the season be with you and your loved ones for this festive occasion and beyond! Aaron, my spouse, and I plan to indulge in this week of rest and relaxation!
Category: reflection
Pearl Harbor Day, 2019
Today, December 7, is known as Pearl Harbor Day in the U.S. On this date, in 1941, the Japaneses attacked the Pacific Ocean fleet at the Pearl Harbor Naval base in the Hawaiian Islands. This early morning bombing mission, unprovoked and without any warning, led to this country entering into World War II. The photograph above shows the memorial above where the USS Arizona sank on that day.
Black Friday
Here in the USA, today is the day after the annual Thursday Thanksgiving Day holiday. For quite a number of years, this day was always the start of the traditional winter holiday shopping season. This habit became so much the custom that that most retail businesses have adopted a nickname or pet name for the day following the Thanksgiving observance: “Black Friday” – even though there is nothing black whatsoever about the date.
Holiday Week Schedule
This upcoming Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA. Legend has it that the early British settlers here held a shared feast with the Native Americans (indigenous people) in either the Massachusetts Bay Colony or here in Virginia. This shared meal was an early attempt to thank the indigenous people for their assistance in securing a fruitful and successful harvest. Little else is known or understood about the origins.
In Memory: John Fitzgerald Kennedy
U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was assassinated on November 22, 1963 – exactly fifty-six years ago today. Although his death was years before my own birth, he was the very first president of this country to publicly pose shirtless and without embarrassment or any shame. Even though he served barely three years as chief executive, his service is well known. He brought to the Oval Office the ideal of progress and exceptional service.
Reflections: October – November, 2019
This upcoming weekend has led me to a serious and in-depth thoughtful assessment into my state of mind. On Sunday, November 10, is the first year anniversary of the death of my father. I knew that the first full year living without him would be depressing (at times) and difficult. However, nothing really prepared me for the overflow of feelings of both gratitude and joy as I recalled episodes of my life with Pop.
USA: November Time Change
The first Sunday in November, (this year, November 3) annually, marks the end of Daylight Savings Time (DST) and the return to standard time in the USA. This timing event heralds the end to the seasonal adjustment for more daylight hours and returns us to the barren sequence of timing that brings us to a time of winter. The colder outdoor temperatures encourage the majority of us to spend more time inside with the coziness of warmth.
Photo-blog: GLBTQ Bare History Month Friday #4
This is another Friday, the fourth, during 2019 GLBTQ Bare History Month. The post today is the last one in this series for this annual celebration. The heading picture, shown above, features a man in the early days of color photography poolside with his beach ball. Judging from the man’s hairstyle, the picture dates from the middle 1960’s. There is no information of the photographer.
Continue reading Photo-blog: GLBTQ Bare History Month Friday #4
Holiday, 2019!
Today, the second Monday in October, is an official holiday in the USA. For more than a century it was entitled Columbus Day, in honor of the Italian born explorer who sailed the North Atlantic Ocean for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of what is now the Kingdom of Spain. Christopher Columbus was searching for a new route to India but was soon famous for “discovering” the New World.
Richmond: GLBTQ History Walking Tour
In my Reflections: End of September, 2019, published here on Friday, September 27, 2019, I shared that Aaron (my spouse) and I plus Alex, my identical twin brother and his significant other, were visiting Richmond, Virginia (where Twin and I grew up) for their GLBTQ Pride Festival on Saturday, September 28. While enjoying the event, I visited the booth sponsored by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and picked up a map for a walking tour of GLBTQ sites in the downtown city area.
ReNude Pride: Guys Without Boxers! 