6
JOURNALS, in all sizes and shapes, with each having lined paper,
covering the years from 1967 to today. I started keeping a journal at
the age of 10 and somehow, somewhere, I lost 21 of them. Luckily I have
plenty of pictures from those years that bring back memories but not to
equal what I feel seeing in writing what I have done. I miss the ones
from my teenage years because it was a time I was exploring my
sexuality which I, eventually, wrote about in my published book, "The
Free Prisoner".

Though
I have been blogging for 4 years, starting my 5th in January, I still
keep my journals. Yes, I blog about major events in my life along with
reviews of movies I see and restaurants I eat at, but there are certain
aspects of my life--that's why my heirs have instructions to burn them
all when I die--ranging from sexual partners to sexual acts! LOL

  

No
matter which journal or to what day/date/year I am instantly sent on a
journey to my past that could easily lead to my writing another book.
Here is one entry: "March 29, 1967 I went to see Melina Mecouri in Ilya
Darling--she is as exciting on stage as she is on the silver screen.
Afterwards I went out drinking and cruising--(a little X-rated stuff
here)--at midnight I wanted to commit suicide (and I went into the many
reasons for my thinking)--that afternoon, March 30 at 1 PM I walked
into my first Weight Watchers meeting"--from there I would lose 100
pounds, move to Memphis, in 1975 opening my own business, Our Weigh,
moved back to Florida--a whole story following one entry!

   

I
have a record of 42 years of my weigh in every Thursday--I have records
of every restaurant I worked and how many checks I wrote each shift,
how many people I waited on, how much I made in tips--I have a record
of each outfit I wore on what day, in what class, for what interview,
on TV, visiting classes in other States and countries.

 

I
can tell you what play, in what theatre, who starred in it, how much it
cost over the past 47 years of theatre going. I can tell you in detail
about my trips to South America, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, Bora, Bora, Hawaii, 48 out of the 50 States--who I met on my
trips, when, where, what we did and other details that we won't talk
about.

With a little digging I can tell
when/how/where I met Chuck, Gino and Allen or what happened at my
Wednesday parties not to forget what jobs I had, and for how along, and
where I lived and when I moved, how I celebrated my birthdays and with
who not to forget what we ate and, yes, the gifts I got. My life for
the past 42 years are in those 6 books.

I
have written 5 books based on my journals regarding how, where and when
I met friends and lovers and how/when I lost the latter. I have
fictionalized my adult years by using the facts in/from  my journals. 3
years ago my book, "Letting It All Hang Out: Commentaries, Musings and
Essays from an Old(er), Poor, Gay Man" which was an accumulation of
past newspaper columns I had written, topics from my journals and
things I had thought important enough to write about and, in turn, I
used some of the chapters and posted them as blogs.

It
is said that a writer should write what they know--for 63 years I have
done that starting with my journals and will end with my writing in my
journal, if possible, on the day I die (but guys don't forget to burn
that evening!!!) and I have committed myself to writing blogs and will
post, at least, one  a day, whether it is by my or an article that I
feel articulates what I want to say better than I can say it.

TOMORROW:  PART 3  MY BOOKS