ABSILVER's World

I sit here the Sunday after my birthday. For the record, my birthday last Friday was a low-key, rainy day in Longview and ended with an early dinner at a very nice restaurant in Tyler, TX ( Culture ETX ).  Usually, on my birthday, I hide from social media and as many places as possible so the day passes quietly and we move on to the following year.  Dinner was wonderful, and we were back home by 7 PM.  I walked DaisyBelle, who seemed concerned that we had missed her walk and supper, normally a 5 pm walk and dinner. Friday morning, I went for a long walk.  As I looked back on year 57, there were some highlights.  I started a new job with TekMonks and learned that the people are even better than the products and services.  TekMonks products and services are unique, and there is great potential to lead in a cloud-centered technology world, and I look forward to year 58 being a great success. I also have learned to appreciate and enjoy Longview, Texas and the more leisurely pace.  Longview

I was in my 20s in Fort Lauderdale and coming to terms with being a gay male in a society that was slowly accepting gay people.  At a time when HIV and AIDs was a death sentence, and people were afraid of just standing close to others like me.  It was a gay bar or two that made me realize I was not alone.  One of my favorites was the Hideaway.  As the name connotates, it was hidden. You had to know where it was. In those days, there were several gay bars in Fort Lauderdale, but they were all quite hidden as I look back.  You had to know where they were. What were they? They were places for gay people to be together and, yes feel safe. Today, in Fort Lauderdale, no more Hideaways as the gay bars are all "out," and many are on the strip of Wilton Manors.  Gay people, straight people, and people of all kinds enjoy hanging out and openly enjoying each other's company.  If you have ever been to Wilton Manors for Halloween or a Pride parade, you would think the world is a toler