Yep, I'm excited!

     Sooo… it’s been a whole week since I sat down to try and figure out what to put on this blog. I wish I was as talented as some other writers who do blogs, like Mr. Ryan Fields. They always seem to have something poignant to say. I just ramble on and post naked pictures.

Yeah, I know... sad isn't it.

     This week, today, I saw something that kind of rattled my cage a bit. I don’t know if many of you know of Scruff? It’s an app that is a lot like Grindr. They tend to focus more on rugged and often furry men. Anyway, they tend to do more community stuff than a lot of those other date (hook up) apps. Today, I was reading their weekly tid-bit email that they send out. They did an article on homeless LGBT youth in America.
     This information was gathered up by the Williams Institute. I’ve known about them for several years, and have found that they do a pretty good job at sticking to the facts. Here’s a link to find out who they are. 

http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/mission/

     Forty percent of all homeless youth in this country identify as LGBT. Seven out of ten said that the reason they are homeless is because of rejection of their families. It will never cease to amaze me how people can toss kids out like yesterday’s trash. 
     When I see or hear this I go through a range of emotions. First is sadness. I feel like someone has a rope tied around my heart and is pulling it down, trying to remove it from my body. Then I just get mad. I get so angry that I want to go and shake some of those people who have thrown away these kids. Lastly, I just want to go and do something.
     In this report the homeless youth agencies, which were used to gather this information, state that the biggest challenge they face is lack of funding and support, both from the government and the general public. They also state that the need has risen twelve percent over the last ten years. While it seems the general public is more accepting of LGBT people, which may be why these kids are okay with saying they are gay, lesbian, bi or transgender. But because of this acceptance, it seems we may not be doing enough for them.
     Here is a link to that report so you can read it for yourselves. Notice what Cyndi Lauper has been doing.

William Institute Report 

     I have to admit, I’ve been remiss in doing my part. I’ve let life get in the way of doing my part. It is my plan to take care of that this coming week. However, each month when I sit down to pay bills, which I hate, I do make a point of purchasing something for Lost-n-Found in Atlanta. They have a running wish list which you can find on their website. It isn’t much, but it is something at least.
     As my grandmother always said, “There is no greater gift than giving of yourself.” I need to do more of that. I know it makes me feel better about myself, so I am going to make a point of remedying that this week. I have a few ideas floating around in all that empty space upstairs, called my head.
     What else… 
     Woo-Hoo! This is why I've been so excited! I got the first full draft, if that’s what you call it, of the audio book My Hero! Holy fuck is it good! This narrator has nailed it. I liked that he asked me how I saw the characters, how they sounded to me in my head. What he did with the character, Anita, was spot on. I loved it. I am hoping that it will be available sometime towards the end of this month. Still finding my way on how to do this, so there is a learning curve I have to overcome, so we’ll see when it actually does come out.

     The one good thing about listening to this audiobook is that it got me wanting to finish the sequel. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve really been dragging my feet on this project. Frankly, I’ve been scared to death to finish it. I guess I’m terrified that it won’t live up to people’s expectations. Anyway, I think I have the gumption now to dive in and try and get it done.

     Oh, quick question for you folks who like audio books… which of my books would you most like to see turned into an audio book? Maybe I’ll run a contest or something. I’ll have to think on how to do that. I’d like to get that going as soon as My Hero is done so I can keep this narrator busy. He is just that good!
     Okay, I gotta say that I do love living in a small town. I actually liked living out in the middle of now where, but well… that kind of fell apart on me, so now I live in this tiny little place, and I do like it here. The downtown area is so quaint and actually has a lot of things going on during the month.

     The only big drawback is the lack of strippers. Sadly enough, I’ve been going through stripper-withdrawal. When I went to New York City we went to one club. It was…disappointing. Then to another bar while in NYC and they were running so far behind, like two hours, I just said fuck it. Didn’t see nary a one in Australia, which was truly disappointing. I’ve been doing my homework, did do a little checking, and the closest that I’ve been able to find is in Ft. Lauderdale, which is a good two hour drive from me. What’s a poor ol’ fag like me supposed to do? Any suggestions? I keep collecting stripper dollars and no way to get rid of them!

     Oh, and thanks for the comments and feedback from last week. Seems there are a few of us that would like one of those dolls. Wonder if we could get a group rate! BWHahahaha!
     Let me hear from you people. Have a grrreat week, y’all.
     Max

Ain't her purty?