Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player...
  • Health Beat,  LGBTSR

    Health Beat: Coping with the Summer Heat

    By Mark McNease

    Tomorrow is the official first day of summer, and the temperatures here in New Jersey are proof of it. After some very comfortable months, the heat and humidity are increasing steadily, and we’re headed for our first heat wave of the summer (defined as three days or more of above-90 degree temps).

    It’s been okay so far here in the countryside where we live, but this morning I had to pull out the bandanna I wrap around my head when the humidity gets drippy. And I watered the vegetable garden early this morning before a trip out of town.

    We have two cats and I always think about them, too. They’ve survived before and they’ll survive again, but always keep lots of fresh water for them and hire a pet sitter if you go away.

    And now … some tips and reflections on the dog days of summer.

  • LGBTSR

    Workshops Now Scheduled for September! Save the Dates

    I have a full slate of workshops schedules for September: Fiction Writing Essentials, Self-Publishing with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), and extended Guided Autobiography Workshops. You don’t need to register now, but save the dates and stay tuned. – Mark

    Guided Autobiography 6 Week Online Workshop
    Starts Wednesday, September 4, 10:00 am eastern
    Register here

  • LGBTSR

    The Pleasures of Those Cash Back Rewards: Credit Cards that Give Back


    By Mark McNease

    I like earning the extra income on money I’m spending anyway. If you’re like me and you never carry debt, it’s a win-win.

    I didn’t need another credit card, and I haven’t carried debt in at least 15 years. I pay my statements every month, having been strongly encouraged to do that when I met my now-husband Frank in 2006. After many years of paying interest, it was a jolt to the system, but it’s a habit I’m very happy I got into. I don’t necessarily spend less, but I never pay interest, and that makes those cash back dollars and rewards points worth the occasional new card.

    I’ve had an Amazon Chase card for years, and usually take the cash back amounts against my Amazon account. Sometimes I’ll cash it out instead. And a year ago we joined Costco. Between the discounts and the cash back that accumulates every month, it’s been worth it.

  • LGBTSR

    Savvy Senior: How to Find Reliable Health Information Online

    By Jim Miller

    Dear Savvy Senior,

    How can I tell if the health info on a website is trustworthy? I usually do a Google search on a symptom, drug or health condition when I want to research something, but with so much information out there I’m not sure what I can trust.

    Skeptical Sal

    Dear Sal,

    You’re wise to be skeptical! There’s an overwhelming amount of health advice on the internet today and it can be hard to tell what’s credible. To help you sort through the online clutter and locate reliable, trustworthy health information, here are a few tips to follow, along with some top-rated sites you can turn to with confidence.

  • LGBTSR

    Transition Mentor Wendy Cole: An Introduction (Part 2)

    I knew Wendy when we both worked at the same place several years ago in New Hope, PA. I often wondered where she went and what she was up to. And now I know! She was generous enough to share her past, present and future with us, and I’m delighted to have her as a guest columnist for this six-part series. – Mark/Editor

    Once he has a career, wife, house, family, he’ll forget about being a girl

    I grew up about fifty miles north of New York City in Fishkill, New York. My parents took me to a psychiatric center along the Hudson River between Beacon and Cold Spring New York called the Craig House. I was ten years old sitting with my parents in front of a psychiatrist. He was talking past me to my parents saying once he grows up, has a career, has a wife, has a house, has a family, he’ll forget all about being a girl. I spoke up and said, “No, I’m a girl!” And that was particularly terrifying to me, but I couldn’t hold back.  I was in front of my father who was adamant that I was his son. Unknown to me at the time, he had gone to great lengths to have a son. And no son of his would be a girl. I had declared in front of him to the psychiatrist, “No, I’m a girl”. After five sessions with the psychiatrist my parents told me, “Forget you are a girl. That’s not going to happen. You get that out of your mind. You’re a boy and that’s how you’re going to be. And if you don’t stop behaving this way and insisting you’re a girl, you’re going to be committed and fixed at the psychiatric center.” This was in the late 1950s and I was scared to death.

  • LGBTSR,  On the Map

    On the Map: Cruising on the Symphony of the Seas

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    On the map is a travel feature at LGBTSr offering experiences, recommendations, and interesting ports of call.

    By Mark McNease

    We just went on another cruise, with three booked for 2025. Needless to say, we love cruising as a vacation. No chores, no cat litter, no cooking or cleaning, and no appointments! Unless you consider dinner and a Broadway-caliber show an appointment.

    We took this ship for the experience of being on one of the largest cruise ships currently sailing. It’s massive, and we soon discovered why there were so many children on board: water slides, a zip line, a miniature golf course, and a lot of activities designed for families with kids. There’s even a ‘Boardwalk’ section on the 6th floor that has a carousel and hot dog stand.

    About the Cruise

    If you’re looking for a cruise vacation that has it all, the Symphony of the Seas is your ticket. One of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship, the Symphony offers a floating city that can accommodate up to 6,680 guests and 2,200 crew members. It features 18 decks, 24 pools, 22 restaurants, 42 bars and lounges, a 10-story slide, a zip line, a surf simulator, a laser tag arena, a mini golf course, a carousel, a theater, an ice rink, a casino, a spa, a gym, a library, a nursery, a kids club, a teen club, and much more. Just telling you what’s on board is exhausting!

  • LGBTSR

    Another Workshop Testimonial: Guided Autobiography 2-Hour Introductory

    “Mark gave us a simple exercise, to pick a room and diagram it using the house we grew up in. Put in the furniture, windows, all the room’s features, and take notice of any feelings, emotions, thoughts that occurred as we did the exercise. I was astonished at the power of my memories and feelings as I thought about the knotty pine “den” where my family watched TV, sometimes ate, spent most of the nighttime hours before going to bed. I relived the distance I always felt between my father and me, the anger of my father toward my mother, my disgust with my sad depressed grandmother, who I felt almost didn’t exist for me. I became that teenage boy in Canton, Mississippi, trying to figure out how I could be so different, how I could know I was “queer”, and wondering if I would even be able to act on those feelings.” – Jim G.