The Gay Genes

It's kind of a joke around our household -- whenever my partner gets excited about a home decorating show on TV or something like that, I just zone out and say, "I didn't get those gay genes."

Yesterday, I was glued to various TV stations watching news about the impact of the most recent hurricane off the Gulf of Mexico, while my partner was reviewing the newspaper ads in the Sunday inserts. I noted that this Cat 2 storm had a surge of a Cat 4 hurricane while he noted that Jacklyn Smith designs have replaced Martha Stewart at KMart.

Today I decided to try out a new video camera that I received, and it took me a while to mount to my Harley for the right "boot shot". Meanwhile, my partner is watching the latest Candice Olsen home design show, and was all excited about some product she was featuring. I'm changing into cop breeches and boots, and he's going on about just where such-and-such an object would work with the decorations in our basement rec room. We might as well have been on different planets.

I just never got those "gay genes." That is, provided, that gay men are supposed to be oriented more toward fashion and design. I really leave all that stuff up to my partner. I admit it, I'm clueless when it comes to design, color schemes, what "works" where, etc. And on top of that, I don't really care. (But I don't have to care since my partner is so good at it.) My genes remain oriented to more typical male things, like boots, bikers, and leather gear.

Oh well, my partner and I are quite different in our interests, but not our goals and values. That's what's important, ultimately. Who cares if Martha Stewart's towels are no longer in KMart, other that Martha? Meanwhile, I'll keep focusing on hurricane recovery efforts. I know that this is where I will be spending a lot of my time at work over the next weeks and months.

Help others as best you can. If you want to help those affected by the hurricane, donate cash to a trusted charity. Don't send canned goods and used clothing. Believe me, I have seen how much of a disaster it is when unrequested donations pile up, get wet, then moldly, then have to be dumped in a landfill. Instead, donate money that helps people get what they need wherever they are, as well as support the economy of the affected areas.

Meanwhile, keep your boots on the ground (or on a motorcycle) and enjoy life!