Peter's Place

I'm sick. I've been sick since Wednesday evening. I think it's my annual bout of bronchitis. Or it could be COVID. But I doubt it. But with all the anxiety over COVID, IDK anymore. I think all the anxiety they have given us over COVID has left us unable to determine when we have a simple cold or the flu, or something like bronchitis, or something worse--like COVID--or some other sort of infection.  More likely than not this either is my annual bronchitis or a URI (upper respiratory infection). But I'm sick and miserable. Oh. I'm being redundant. But I'm sick so I'm allowed a bit of redundancy. I'm certain I'm not the only one who feels this way. That is, that one little sniffle--or in my case, a single cough--sends off alarm bells and trips to CVS buying out every single possible home COVID test there is on the shelves. Because I've already had COVID-19. And not the trimmed-down Delta or Omicron variants but the OG one that first came out, when ...

Today marks the completion of the 48th revolution of my corporeal existence on this ball of rock flooded with a substance we call water (chemical composition  H 2 O ) around a gaseous body whose core is a continuous fusion reaction primarily fueled by hydrogen and helium (i.e., our "sun," which we classify as a yellow star). In other words, it's my 48th birthday today. And. I'm. Terrified. . . No. Make that petrified, immobilized by a foreboding sense of impending...change? It's not that I haven't faced change before--I have, on numerous occasions and yet, I'm still here (despite more than a few attempts to the contrary but, I digress). NOTE: If you are having thoughts of not wanting to be here any longer, please--PLEASE--call someone and ask for help. Call your local mobile crisis hotline number, call 911, call your local Suicide Prevention Hotline . Yet this time, something is different. I don't know if it's the times we're living in or the f...

Wow, so it's been a while since I've posted a personal update. Let me fill you in. First of all, to all of you who have given to me in the past, a huge thank you and much gratitude for your generosity and assistance. I could not have gotten through these past few months without your support and kindness.  I know that I've asked for assistance in the past. My GoFundMe page  states I've raised some money but the vast majority of that money was from last year. As explained below, the shelter either "lost" or threw out my summer clothes (and denies all responsibility). As such, I have very little to wear for the coming months. Additionally, I have other needs as I lay out below. Since the last time I've posted an update, I wound up back on the funny farm. That is, my depression sunk to a level that led me to "bad thoughts," i.e., I became despondent and suicidal. Essentially, I went to City Hall in Hartford, CT seeking help with my housing situati...

There is nothing more important to #PRIDE than the Truth and that means even when it may not be very convenient. The #LGBTQ+ community is uniquely situated to handle this quandary because, after the self-realization of identifying as LGBTQIA2S++, one is then faced with perhaps the greatest inconvenient truth of all: the great, big LGBTQ closet. It's quite unfortunate that I've seen a rise in other such inconvenient truths (and no, not that  Inconvenient Truth ) since my return to the social web after a hiatus of a few years while I cared for, and then lost my mother as she battled breast cancer for the fourth time. We have come so far in the past 50 years yet have much further to go, especially as a community. I believe that is because we have been fighting for equality when in fact we should be demanding equity and justice . One needn't look far from the gayborhoods to see the self-harm that staying in the closet does to us. And that's why today, on this 32nd anniversa...

Greetings and salutations. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my situation and need for assistance. I'm launching the first chapter in what essentially is a new book in my life, so I've dubbed it  Life 2.0 . In a nutshell, I'm homeless, disabled, have a plethora of health issues (numerous physical health issues plus severe chronic depression and anxiety), lost my mother to breast cancer a year ago and her sister just passed away in Thailand, successfully fought off a COVID-19 infection, and have only a limited support system. I need help to get back on my feet and make a new start of things, and I'd appreciate your assistance with that. That being said, I truly appreciate and am grateful to you just for finding and supporting this post and hopefully contributing to my  GoFundMe campaign  (which you can do right now simply by clicking this link ). For other ways to help out, scroll down to the bullet points at the end of this article. A Bit More ...

It's official: I've officially just been registered as a homeless person in CT's Coordinated Access Network (CAN) for homeless persons. I am not one who has an easy time asking for help but right now, I need all the help I can get. I would truly appreciate any amount of money you can spare to help me get back on my feet. I can accept funds via the following methods: PayPal CashApp Google Pay  (send to my email address pcfrank73@gmail.com) Zelle (bank transfers) via pcfrank73@gmail.com or 914-417-9579. Venmo Amazon  (I can always use gift cards for Amazon to get things I need, such as clothing, food, household supplies, etc.) I had been staying with the relative of a friend for the past few months, ever since I had to move out of my mother's apartment when she lost her fourth battle against breast cancer. Unfortunately, we both now are homeless and instead of expressing to me what was going on constructively, this person chose to pick a fight with me, as you c...

Hello Everyone, [UPDATE 16 August 2019: Mom has been moved to inpatient hospice. She is unable to move any of her limbs or her head. She can barely speak and sleeps for most of the day. She's not going to last very long. I would very much appreciate your help. Instructions are below in the bold-faced paragraph, further down in this post. Thank you so much for your kindness, generosity, and support.] As I write this, my mother is on her deathbed. She is only expected to remain with us a day or two longer, if that. Many of you may have noticed that for the past 1.5 years my online and social media activities have been quite diminished as compared to my norm. There are numerous reasons for this but the primary reason is that I have been caring for my mother, who has been fighting #breastcancer for the fourth time and the battle took a turn for the worse about 1.5 years ago. Mom, 3 August 2019 on her way to my sister's. During her third round of breast cancer, mom und...

Today, October 21st, is my birthday. Perhaps the most common question I am asked, especially when meeting someone new, is, "how old will you be?" My typical response is, "I'll be celebrating my 29th birthday." And it's a factual statement. One can celebrate anything one chooses, and I happen to choose to celebrate my 29th birthday. But it's not for the reason most people would think. Many may deem such a response to be a sign of vanity. There is, after all, an increasing amount of anxiety surrounding the entrance to one's fourth decade of life (or in layman's terms, turning 30 ). There also is the common myth among many gay men—especially those young adults and 20-somethings—that crossing the boundary into one's thirties is the death knell of gay life. Worst of all, thirty becomes that age when one no longer can get laid and instantly transforms one into an old troll or, worse, a chicken hawk. There's even a zeitgeist surrou...

The United States should join every other major nation and recognize that health care is a right of citizenship. A Medicare-for-all, single-payer system would provide better care at less cost for more Americans. ~ Bernie Sanders After spending approximately four days inpatient, I was discharged from the hospital today. Last Saturday, I was taken (via ambulance, which probably isn't covered by my medical insurance) to the ER at Hartford Hospital and admitted there in a "code red" situation because I was having difficulty catching my breath due to my heart racing and perhaps some other medical problems I was experiencing. As a (somewhat very new) volunteer for Hartford Capital City Pride , I was at HCCP's PrideFest , which was held outdoors (in the very hot, very humid weather) in Connecticut's Capital City of Hartford's Bushnell Park . It was a very hot, extremely muggy day—just the sort that my asthma-based  COPD has serious issues with. Despite the...