The World Through My Eyes

The World Through My Eyes: A collection of essays, reflections and thoughts about men, sex, love, relationships, politics, friendships, nudism, current events, social concerns, humanitarian issues, religion and all those wonderful experiences that constitute life as seen and felt by me: a thirty-something Deaf Gay man of mixed racial heritage (half-black, half-white) living in the Virginia Beach area of the United States. A scrapbook of my life. I've been a confirmed Gay nudist for the past 20 years (since puberty). Sometimes, we just need to step back and chill and try not to be so serious and tense. Life is short, stand up and get into it! nekkidfurryboi@gmail.com.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Half Breed (Mutt)

During my undergraduate years at Gallaudet University (the only liberal arts university for the Deaf in this country), I was often asked what racial identity I preferred. As the child of an European father (Greek) and an African mother (Nigerian), I was in limbo. Too white for some, too black for others, and then not enough for either race. I was an oddity on campus and sometimes popular because of this anamoly. I simply wanted to be me.

As a biracial Deaf, gay man, I just viewed myself as myself. I rejected the dispersion about my parents. After all, they were the two people who created me. I had both black and white families that I loved. Why did I need to make a choice? This question wasn"t limited to my collegiate peers. Everyone that I encountered seemed confused. Regardless of race, it felt that everyone I met looked at me the same, although most were too polite to inquire.

All this changed in November, 2008. I finally had a role model based on his credentials and not his celebrity. Mr. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was elected as the President of the United States of America. I now had someone who mirrored my own life in the most powerful position on this planet. Not surprisingly, the questions concerning my identity ceased.

Thank you, Mr. President Obama, for being the success that many of us need. Not only have you achieved the impossible, you have also inspired millions to strive for perfection.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Nakation


It's Saturday morning of the Labor Day weekend and I'm sitting at my home desk, making final adjustments to lesson plans for the upcoming school year. BF has to work today and most of our friends are busy with their holiday engagements. This is not my favorite choice on how to spend my three-day weekend. At least I'm nude and miserable as opposed to dressed and miserable. That fact offers some small degree of comfort.

My mind keeps drifting off to our most recent naked vacation. It was the last full week of August at Sandy Hook Beach, New Jersey. Sandy Hook is a part of Gunnison National Park and is one of the few public nudist beaches on the Atlantic coastline. Our hotel, although not clothing-optional, was minutes away from the park and allowed us to spend our days naturally enjoying the sand, surf and the sight of hundreds of beautifully naked men. I took this picture of one of the signs posted along the approach to the beach. We gladly stripped into freedom daily after crossing this threshold.

Joining BF and me were my identical twin cousins and their respective same sex partners. Both of our fathers are biological brothers and like us, my cousins and their spouses are all naturists. Because we share this common bond, we frequently travel and hang out (literally) together. The family that plays naked is one helluva happy family!

Oh well, back to reality. Time to finish the task at hand. At least, I'll have two days of relaxation before classes start on Tuesday.

Nudity is the ultimate freedom!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Shoes And Socks

Idiosyncrasies, we all have them. Little peculiarities and eccentricities that are a part of our persona and make us the unique individuals that we are. Those traits that separate us from the mundane and routine. What a boring world this would be if we weren't all different in some small way. I should know. Sometimes, I feel as though my entire life is off track and my behavior is entirely alien.

I know there is a reason for this. Living in two different cultural groups (my paternal family is Greek, my maternal family is Nigerian) is bad enough. Then add to the mixture the fact that I am also Deaf, grew up in the USA and from an early age sensed that I was different from other boys my age. I became a teenager and recognized my preference for both private and social nudity and the fact that I'm Gay. Yes, there is a legitimate cause for my confusion and my personal idiosyncrasies. I remember when my parents hosted family gatherings in our home. When in the den, I needed to act Nigerian. When in the living room, I needed to think Greek. Outside, with my cousins, it was okay to be American. Depending on which cousin was sharing my bedroom, that space wasn't a sanctuary. The only real safe haven left for me was the bathroom and that refuge was limited time only.

I attended a residential school for the Deaf. So, when at school during all those months, I was sheltered in Deaf Culture. Then, at holiday time, I had to adjust to living in a hearing world (except when my Greek cousins were around; Deafness is hereditary in my Greek side of the family). Oh yes, I learned to adapt at a very early age and developed a quick survival habit of disappearing when it looked as though a disaster might happen (like a Greek aunt and Nigerian aunt cooking together in the kitchen or when all the uncles were playing backgammon, dominoes or cards).

This morning, my BF was lying in bed, watching me getting dressed for work. He began to laugh and informed me that he loved the way that I put on my shoes and socks. Now, I've been performing this task for my entire life and never felt that it was anything extraordinary. Two feet, two socks, two shoes; it doesn't take a physicist to solve this problem. I asked him what made him love my foot-sock-shoe routine.

He explained it all to me: most people put on both socks and then put on their shoes. I always put on one sock, adjust it accordingly and then put on the shoe. Then, I repeat the same procedure on the next foot. He added that this was one of the many reasons that he loves me. Yeah, right. The minute I walked out of the door he probably initiated proceedings to have me committed to our local psychiatric institution.

I thought about this while driving to work. Is my sock and shoe ritual Greek? Maybe it's Nigerian? It isn't a Deaf thing because my BF is Deaf, too. On the other hand, it might be something that I picked up from the Americans. Is it contagious? Could it possibly be a hearing habit that I inadvertently learned? It can't be a Gay trait because my BF is a...hell, he's a man, also. Is it a religious custom? If so, which one? Anglican (Church of England in Nigeria) as opposed to Greek Orthodox? Is it a nudist tradition because we're reluctant about wearing clothes? The questions multiplied yet the answers eluded me.

About the time that I parked my car, I decided, fuck all this! It's my feet, my socks and my shoes. I'll do me like I want to do me, plain and simple. I also decided that BF needs to get a hobby. He has too much free time if he's watching me put on my shoes and socks! LOL!

Personal Secret

I'm so skinny that I have to run around in the shower just too get wet! Tall, lean and sqeaky clean!

Desperate Lies!

The November, 2010, mid-term elections are barely two months from now. The radical, extremist, right-wing fanatics are frantically spewing forth lies and innuendos in an attempt to discredit President Obama in particular and the Democrats in general. Exactly how far they'll go with this smear campaign is any one's guess. Given their propensity for hatred and exclusion, I expect they'll soon scrap the bottom of the barrel. After all, they seem to be able to produce enough lunatics who are more than willing to open their mouths and talk trash before and to anyone willing to listen.

Last night, while waiting patiently in the checkout line in the supermarket, I glanced over the headlines of the tabloids on display. "President Obama Is Muslim," "Obama's Muslim Secret," and "Obama Converts To Islam" are a sampling of the titles. WTF? Is there no decency in journalism anymore? Who in the hell do they think they're fooling? Do they really expect people to pay for this shit? I could only shake my head in disgust and resist the urge to grab all the copies polluting my vision and rip them to shreds.

First, did they completely forget that President Obama took the Oath of Office as president not once but twice, both times swearing on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln?  If he were indeed a Muslim, he would have performed this duty using the Qu'ran, not the Bible. As our President, he has been publically seen actively worshipping in various Christian churches. How do they explain that fact? What about all the uproar and controversy surrounding the Reverend Wright and his membership in that church during the election campaign? Back then they criticized him for having Reverend Wright as his spiritual advisor. Why would a Muslim need a Christian pastor as a religious counselor? How stupid do they think we all are?

Second, if President Obama is a Muslim, so what? The Constitution separates church from state and there is no law requiring the president to be a Christian. They want us all to think that Islamic extremists represent all the Muslim peoples when in fact, they are a small minority. The overwhelming majority of the followers of Islam are peaceful, law-abiding and tolerant. Islamic extremists are more like the right-wing Christian extremists than either group want to admit.

Stupid is as stupid does. There apparently is no shortage of stupid in either extremist group.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ever Wonder? Diet Soda

Only in this wonderful nation of obese dieters does the national motto seem to be: "double bacon cheeseburger, large fries and a diet soda." How much sense does that make?

Positive Message For Today

Yes, we do! I suppose if you must wear a shirt, one with a positive thought is better than something generic. Judging the outline of his package, I'm ready to throw my legs in the air and let him do me!

Why Start Now?

To be honest, this isn't my first time blogging. Nope, I'm not a blogger-virgin (hell, nothing about my body has been a virgin since I was sweet-fifteen years old). I've sporadically published on a professional educators network for the past five years. I've likewise written on a social nudist website for almost three years now. I guess I'm just taking this entire blog-thing to the next logical level. Just another step in the evolutionary process.

So, why begin this project now? Well, why not? There's no time like the present to make a change and try something new. As an educator, September is the traditional beginning of another scholastic year so the timing feels right. Classes resume the day after Labor Day; therefore, a different tool to jump-start the academic season.

Recently, I celebrated my thirty-third birthday. Keeping this space here is another means to commemorate a new birth year. Anything to protect this ancient brain from atrophy!

Oh yeah, there's one more important reason for doing this. A first cousin of mine has been posting on blogger.com since January, 2010. He's been kicking my cute, furry ass about creating my own blog for the past six months. What better way to get him off my back than taking this plunge? Satisfied, Cuz? LOL! 

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Initial Entry

I've walked through the door and entered the world of blogging. Now, which path to take and exactly where this jouney will take me, I don't have a clue. That's probably the reason that beginnings are so exciting and scary, all at the same time. The simple act of undertaking a new project is fun and inspiring, and not the least bit intimidating.

I've kept a journal most of my adult life. That part of me is private. This is the part of me, myself and I that I am offering the world to see and judge. I am a realist and I know for a fact that others will judge me. Why sweat it? It happens all the time and I know that I can never change that fact of nature. I've learned to accept it and move on. After all, I've 33 years of experience in handling judgments due to my biraciality, sexuality, nudity, Deafness and a dual interest in arts and athletics. Judgments don't bother me, but stupidity does test my patience and tolerance.

I think I'll make it a habit to publish here only when I'm naked (which, truth is, almost all the time except when I'm at work). I don't have anything to hide so I may as well hang loose and enjoy the ride!