The view from down here

If you follow this blog, you know I've tossed my bed in the garbage. I sleep on a cushion on the floor now. In part, this is because my new apt is pretty small. The only way I could have an office here was to take over the bedroom with my two large desks, which left no room for a bed. But that's okay because I like it down here.

The view from the floor has disappeared from modern lives, at least in America. Sure, rugrats hang out there but adults shun floors. Bad move. It's cosmic down there.

And yes, this comes from my hippie days. In the 1960s, when we budding hippies visited a friend's house we'd all sit cross-legged on large floor cushions assembled around a low, round table. One or two poor slobs would sit apart, in the torture machines we referred to as butterfly chairs. Poor gits. They missed out on the lower vantage point. It was great on the floor. It just seemed so damned friendly. When you're on the floor, everyone's equal; you can feel it.

Now I find that going to bed, since my "bed" is on the floor, gives me that same feeling (okay, minus the crowd and the marijuana). It just feels right down there. Try it. Grab a friend and sit on cushions on the floor. It's way nicer than up here.

That is all. You may resume your lives now.

Gay NFL player to come out

There's a good story at CNN about this. It seems homophobia has had its day in professional sports, and a new era is coming. Dang, you can't even call a sports show to share your anti-gay feelings anymore!

A few weeks ago I heard a caller on local sports talk radio—I know, not always the bastion of level-headedness—tell the host he hopes no player comes out because he, the caller, didn't want to have to deal with it.

He didn't want to have to explain what that meant to his family, or deal with the issue of that gay player, perhaps, being on a team for which he likes to cheer. He was, pardon the expression, undressed by the host, pilloried for his antiquated viewpoints and lampooned for even daring to make someone else's struggle with their hidden sexuality about them.

You have to remember, this is a story at CNN rather than at a gay site. I think it would great if a popular, talented football player came out (and of course, I wonder who they're talking about). From the story, I take it the team is fine with him being gay. He's worried about the reaction of fans -- and that's understandable. No matter how well things are going for gay people, there are still a lot of people out there who hate us. Still, the time seems right. I hope he finds the courage to come out.

I'm mostly a baseball fan and I often find myself hoping that a baseball player will come out. We aren't going away, and that's a fact. Soon we'll be everywhere, openly. That's so great and it'll help young gay kids to feel better about themselves. Enough with the homophobia. It's a new day.