Coming Soon... Gay Divorce Court!

     Never did I expect to see gay marriage in my lifetime. It has been a joy to see how many people have embraced this idea. It isn’t/wasn’t about walking down the aisle with family and friends so much as it was for equal rights. For many of my friends, it was mainly about medical situations, and having the right to be with your partner and make decisions for that partner when the need arose.

     Now, with that being said, I've got to say that I can’t wait for Gay Divorce Court. You know it’s going to happen. I can see it now… two old queens fighting over china and a dog. It is going to be hysterical. I might even have to watch that one.

     Over the years, I have known many gay couples in committed relationships which lasted much longer than most non-gay relationships. So for those who had the power to deny rights to those couples—who themselves had been married and divorced several times—I give you a big ol’ raspberry. So there. Ha!

     I never understood the whole thing about how my right to marry another man would somehow undermine your failing marriage(s). How do they come to that conclusion? It’s just like what business is it of theirs to know what goes on in my bedroom? Uh… none. I sure as hell don’t want to know what’s going on in theirs. All I can say to that is… EWWW.

     Marriage… let me ramble on about that for a moment. First off, I don’t see myself ever getting married. I have come to the conclusion that there is no one out there who would be willing to put up with all of my bullshit. I’m way too opinionated, stubborn, and cantankerous for anyone to deal with. I’m also very set in my ways and I tend to like things done a certain way. I will be the first to admit that I’m very OCD, and when things aren’t put back a certain way or there is a lot of clutter around me, I get downright bitchy. I know this about myself, and that’s just the way I am. So… no walking down the aisle for me.

     For those who are already married, I extend my congratulations and sympathy. Yes, I did say sympathy. Far too often, I see couples who are together and shouldn’t be. I have noticed that, gay or straight, there are people who should just throw in the towel and call it quits. They make each other, or at least one of them, miserable. What bothers me the most is the whole ‘Battered Wife Syndrome’ or as it is now being called, ‘Battered Person Syndrome’.

     The first stage is denial. You don’t actually have to have been hit to be a battered person, just so you know. You can be abused by actions and words alone! Do not be fooled that you have to be beaten to be considered a battered spouse/partner. So, denial… not only to family and friends but to themselves. I have seen this often in gay couples and even more so in straight couples.

     The next stage is guilt. Yep, they/you will feel guilty and think it is all your fault. I guess, I’m just too pig-headed to wrap my mind around this one. You’re going to abuse me and then make it my fault? Uhhh… no. Not in my lifetime.

     Then we progress on to enlightenment. Voila! You’ve seen the light. Glory Hallelujah! Now hold onto your horses for a moment here. Now what? Personally, I’d seriously think of using a cast iron skillet on someone’s head. However, I don’t think I’d do well in prison. (although I did do this once. I'm so glad my skillet was okay afterwards.) So what do you do? After considering the skillet, I’d say the best thing for me to do would be to just walk away. Get the hell away would be more like it. Do it as amicably as possible, but get the hell out of there. Cut your losses and be done with it. I do speak from personal experience on that one. Don’t try and be best friends or as I did, roommates. Best to just kick this piece of crap to the curb and move on.

     This, now, leaves us with the last stage… personal responsibility. Often an abuser, either physical or emotion, will never change. A lot of the time, this person was raised with this type of behavior and will never see the error of their ways. Trust me, you ain’t gonna change them. They will suck you in by getting you to remember the good times or how sweet and charming they can be. Yeah, right. Remember that as they pack their bags and then remember how they make you feel after they’ve had a go at you. Hell, often times they never think it is wrong. Oh well, that’s them. Let’s talk about you. You have a responsibility to yourself. You deserve to be happy, don’t you? Will you ever be truly happy when you are in a situation where you’re either physically beaten or beaten down emotionally?

     Yes, gay marriage can be a wonderful thing, as in any marriage. But—and it is a big ‘but’— if you aren’t happy, is it worth it?

     Okay, taking the escalator down from my soapbox. Ooops, not so quick… back to the top for just a few…

     I have a cyber-stalker! Woo-Hoo! Uh, no. This woman really creeps me the hell out. She was my former neighbor and a major reason that I moved. I couldn’t cope with her or her drunken behavior and loud mouth. Now it seems that she can’t live without me. She's in love with me. She tracks everything I do online, which is really icky. I don’t think she is a danger to me, but I do know that she was convicted of animal cruelty and her child taken away from her.. Anyway, I know how much she’s in love with me so I thought I’d make her day by giving her a mention. Hey Donna Russell. Are we having fun yet?

     Okay, down escalator… 

     The next blog post should be from Australia! I’m getting really excited about going. This is truly a trip of a lifetime. Of course, along with the excitement is the anxiety of having to meet new people and the book readings. I still have no idea what to read or even how to go about doing it. I’ve never done it before, and I have always hated speaking in public. Still no suggestions. Ugh, come on people, any ideas here?

     I’d like to know what erotic scene I’ve written that I should read. What made you hot and bothered? Is there one in particular that stands out? That is for the first reading. The second reading is to be longer, like fifteen minutes. Lord help me.

     What should I read? What book? Any suggestions or ideas? What book was your favorite? You favorite characters?

     Don’t make me come after y’all, now. I need some input here.


     And the really good news is, I'm getting there just as Aussie Rule Football starts! YAY! I mean, come on, who doesn't like to see hot men running around in short-shorts tackling each other? Huh?

     I keep seeing this man walking up the main street where I live. He is always carrying several garbage bags. You only have to look at him and realize he is more than likely homeless. I’m thinking that the next time I see him I’ll stop him and see if I can’t take him to lunch or dinner. What’cha think?

     As always, think about someone else and their needs, and do something about it. Doesn’t have to cost anything. Just doing something nice for another human is often the best way to rack up them good Karma Coins, ya know. It will also make you feel better. Best cure to what ails ya.

     Speaking of good… I’ve often said “Good things come to good people”. This week is proof of that. Elaine got her new kidney and is doing well. I’m so happy for this wonderful lady. You go girl! Hope that you have many fruitful trips to the potty! Yay for being able to pee! Love ya, lady.

     I'll see y'all next week from Australia!

     Max

    Oh, one last word here...

     It seems that Blogger saw how many bloggers were leaving because of their stupid 'porn' ruling and have retracted that. Hmmm, I'm thinking that FB should pay closer attention.

And who doesn't like a little Gio now and again...okay a LOT of Gio.

     Sooo… here we are once again. I’m sitting here looking at this big white open space of a page, wondering what the hell am I going to say?

     I guess a little update on the move would be in order. It went okay. It was the most unorganized I think I've ever been while moving. I’m paying for it now. I've got boxes everywhere and I can’t find anything. I just open up a box and say, “Oh, now what do I do with you?” Not fun. I’ll be unpacking for weeks at the rate I’m going.

    Oh, and while I’m doing all this moving crap, I've got to be able to find the time to sit down and plan out the trip to Australia. I have two book signings to work out. Seems like I’m going to be attending a M/M book conference, at least for one day while there. I was looking forward to it until I found out they wanted me to do a reading. I've never done a reading before and I’m terrified of that. Oh, and get this: not one but two book readings. I’m going to need some serious cocktails to pull that off.

     For anyone who has read any of my stuff, could you please help me pick out something to read? I’m really clueless as to what readers would want. Which book? And one of those has to be an erotic scene and five minutes of reading. Any ideas people? Help!

     On the writing front…I've got My Hero: The Olympian three-quarters of the way finished. I’ll jump back onto that once I've got this house situation settled. Then I've got three other manuscripts already started and an outline for another one. Needless to say, I've got enough work to carry me through to the end of the year. However, the one that is just an outline will take a year or more to write, I’m afraid. There is going to be a lot of research going into that one. I’m really going to push myself on that last one, so I don’t want to rush it.

     I do have an announcement to make this week. The blog may/will be moving. Not sure when exactly, but it may be sooner than I’d like. It seems that Google/Blogger has a new policy against anything perceived as porn. There are pics on here this week that some of you might not be able to see. If that is the case, please let me know.

     I’m really getting tired of being told what I can see or read by others. First it was Amazon banning ‘Going Home’ and then All Romance e-books. That one surprised me. I think that it would have been a bestseller for both. It was well on its way to that on each site when it was pulled.

     I signed a French petition the other day in protest of the new VAT taxes placed on e-books. Now, I can understand a reasonable tax on sales of books but twenty percent or more is a bit excessive if you ask me. At any rate, I've been thinking that I may work on putting all my books on my website for direct sales for you Europeans at the same price as they are for everyone else. I doubt that any government agency will come after little ol’ me for those VAT taxes. We’ll see how that works out. 

     This week the French translation was released, thank you Bénédicte Girault for all your hard work. You are simply amazing. Speaking of which, I am always blown away by how wonderful my French readers are. You guys are simply amazing. Thank you so much for your support.

     I was told there were quite a few nice reviews for Going Home, the French version. As many will tell you, I don’t really read reviews. Rarely do I go on Goodreads. Yesterday my curiosity got the better of me and I went to have a look-see. I just knew I was going to get a lot of negative feedback. I wasn’t expecting what I saw.

     I was wrong. There were so many nice reviews for Going Home that I was stunned. For the most part the reviews were really good. At one point I got so emotional I had to walk away. I can’t thank everyone enough who takes the time to write a review, especially since it was taken off Amazon and ARe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

     I’m going to cut this short today. I don’t have that much to say, or I’m just have so many other things going on. The little English washer woman is here and will be wanting something to eat soon so I’d better thing about that. I’m thinking about just throwing some powdered donuts at her, or chocolate. Yeah, that’ll work.

     As always, go forth and do something kind for your fellow humans. Doesn't
have to be much, but every little bit helps.

     Till next week, y ‘all.

     Max