WELL, I managed to survive GAY DAY at Oktoberfest without getting tied up and spanked by the big, good looking guy in nothing but black leather chaps. He was hot on my trail though. There's nothing quite like 9 or 10 thousand gay men partying in a Munich Beerhall on opening weekend of Oktoberfest. It's surreal. I got kissed so much I had to borrow my friend's chapstick. (shut up Luke)

Sinead and Mick are back from their cruise. He loved it, she re-caught a cold. I hear the food was good.

Earth Mother is nesting and the absentminded professor isn't noticing.

The politics war continues in full hale. I wish American GAYS would support Kerry the way these Munich boys greeted their mayor when he came to give a speech. What a speech it was, too. All about community and belonging and inclusiveness and promises to keep reforms coming. What a strange thing to hear such rhetoric from the Mayor of Munich while the Bushites continue to bring a totalitarian regime closer and closer to reality in Amerika. Ironical.

This week my big boss told me the Army is investigating me but wouldn't tell me why. I haven't done anything wrong except put a penis or two in places where straight men wouldn't. And that sure as hell isn't wrong, it's oh so right. I'll just have to wait and see. It could get ugly.

I wonder where Joe is?

Where does the time go? Things seem to happen so fast. I was buying an orange candle last week and Sinead saw me go into the store out her window. I didn't know it at the time. She didn't come out because her hair was wet.

She called me on the phone. She's been ill and I haven't seen her. Now she's back at work and I still haven't seen her except from afar and pretty soon she'll be on vacation and I won't see her for awhile.

Luke is the happiest I have ever seen him. Love can do that.

Brad is perenially cheerful. We are going to spend a good deal of time together this weekend hanging out and doing nothing. We'll probably watch some movies and cook some food and do some shopping. I am still wondering about a new tattoo so I might take him to the shop with me.

This has been a good email week. Lots of interesting news from afar. LOTS.

This has also been a good week in the office. I hired a new woman to work on my team. She's just GREAT. And I mean GREAT. The bonus of it is, she's a lesbian. Her partner and she are raising a son together. A nicer family, you never did see. They are wonderful, happy, mature people.

Ironically enough, the OTHER team in my division also just hired a lesbian. That means that in our little army operation here there are four gay people that we know of. I suspect at least one more but he's as fucked up as a soup sandwich. Way too "American Beauty" for me. He needs to stay down at his end of the hallway.

Working for the army sucks but it's a lot easier with a decent sized queer contingent.