Masculinity . This means different things to different people.  In this 21st century world of gender fluidity and gender identity I am going to pause for a moment to describe the attributes I I consider to be key points of masculinity.  This does not mean I regard anyone with a penis as less than male, nor is it to denigrate women in any way - women may be described as masculine, but need not lose their femininity in order to be strong. That’s a misperception. Nor do men need to be lurking hulks to be masculine. (Think George Clooney as the masculine and Gal Gadot as the feminine in this example.) Men can be soft and gentle without being unmasculine, while women can be powerful and assertive and entirely feminine. This isn’t about labels, it’s about traits. There’s nothing in my eyes that is wrong with either of those two perspectives, or in the vast rainbow of degrees between those points and elsewhere. Being masculine means carry traits of the traditionally feminine side...

I am on a short vacation with my wife. Nothing too extensive in these COVID-ravaged times. Just a hundred or so miles away in a nearby city, taking  time far enough away from home to escape, without the need to hop on an airliner or cruise ship. I’m taking the opportunity to course correct on some things that have kind gotten away from me in the daily hustle. I’ve cut back on drinking and slowly added a few carbs back in - my wife and I have been Keto since January 1st. My morning exercise routine has been sporadic lately, so that too has been revived.  (I’m having a bit of a challenge working out here in the hotel because the suite, with a separate bedroom and really nice bathroom, features the questionable design decision of frosted glass window panels in all the interior doors. Looks great, but even a hint of light is accented, meaning if anyone’s trying to get some sleep the lights of anyone who is awake in the rest of the suite are a distraction.)   My morning exerci...

My wife and I started the new year with new medical insurance and a new plan. We're under an HMO now, as opposed to our previous PPO. One of the parts of an HMO is the requirement for a referral to specialist doctors, which includes urologists. So today's appointment, referred to as a physical, is a necessary step to getting back to seeing a urologist on a regular basis. With the types of issues over the last decade plus I've seen urologists more frequently than any other type of practitioner. By far. My previous primary urologist is not on the new plan, but the other one - the doctor who diagnosed and surgically removed my left vas deferens a year ago - is on the new plan. So I'm hoping today is a relatively straightforward strip-and-search which lets me move on. I'm not sure, to be honest, how much stripping will be involved. Despite my frequent laments regarding my reproductive and urinary systems which requires specialists, today's appointment is with a grou...

(Trigger Alert: This entry is a discussion about erections from a mechanical standpoint.) HAPPY NEW YEAR!! So... Part of my experience with medical issues has been doing my own in-depth study of the male reproductive system. Essentially anything a urologist would examine, I've researched. Out of self-defense in many cases, to make sure I both know what is going on, as well as being able to make educated decisions when it comes to my own care. My penis has had - excuse the pun - its share of ups and downs over the years. To recap for someone just reading the blog for the first time: over the last thirty years I've experienced several surgeries and surgical procedures focused on my groin and related systems. (Using the search words doctor or medical with the search tool above and right of my header you can read about a few of them.) First, I've had three inguinal - pubic - hernia surgeries, the most recent of which was pretty extensive, leaving a two inch scar, and causing a ...

The other day I received a rather startled email response from a friend responding to a note of my own in which I said I feel self-conscious, particularly when my weight increases. She was surprised, I think, because I am rather open about the fact I don't really care who sees me naked and who, in turn, I may see naked.  As I've noted frequently here (maybe too frequently?) nudity doesn't bother me under most circumstances. Mine or anyone else's.  But there's a fundamental difference for me when it comes to being fully comfortable with how I perceive myself, versus my lack of discomfort being nude with other people or around their nudity. ( Great article at the HuffPost on how to be more comfortable nude .) A couple of caveats: I don't, *ahem*, press my nudity on anyone. I'm not a nudist, which if you have read previous posts you understand my thinking. If someone sees me naked it's because they're comfortable with it and the circumstances allow it....