Truly, on Halloween my neighborhood gets the cutest kids anywhere.  Still smiling about one little three year-old dressed like a black mouse.  I dropped a pack of M&Ms into his plastic pumpkin and told him he was too adorable.  He smiled and waddled back to a parent who was in the shadows of my driveway.  "Come again!" I called after him.  He turned around a bit confused, then smiled and came back for more.
 

NEW BOOK: IN DOG YEARS I'M DEAD! 

Okay here it is--that new book of mine I couldn't tell you about last time because the first printing sold out.  I don't just write about the harsh stuff, you know.  We need to laugh maybe more than anything else.  So here it is--from Gibbs Smith Publisher--IN DOG YEARS I'M DEAD: Growing old (Dis)Gracefully.  http://www.clpearson.com/personal_gifts.htm  (Receive a free, autographed copy of No More Goodbyes with each order of $30 or more before Nov. 8th)
And how much fun did I have compiling this?????  A little peek inside-- 

            YOU KNOW YOU'RE GROWING OLDER WHEN... 

            "Getting a little action" means you don't need to take any fiber today... 

            An "all-nighter" means you didn't have to get up to pee... 

            "Getting lucky" means you find your car in the parking lot...           

            Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs and make love," and you answer, "Pick one.  I can't do both!"... 

            You like to be in crowds because they keep you from falling down... 

            You know your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either... 

            Your workout philosophy becomes "no pain, no pain."  Come to think of it, you're already in shape--round is a shape! 

            The Senility Prayer: Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.   

            Diana reached her sixty-fifth birthday and prayed, "Dear Lord, this life is so great.  Please, please, let me live until I'm a hundred!"
            The Lord replied, "My dear, your prayer is heard and granted.
            Well, Diana was so excited that she went to the plastic surgeon and had some work done on her eyes, her chin her boobs, her tummy.  Then she went to the hairdresser and got a brand new color and style, and then to her favorite store for an entire new wardrobe.  Thrilled, she stepped out onto the curb just in time to be run over by a Mack truck.
            Opening her eyes in heaven, she said, "Wait, wait!  Lord--you promised me I could live until I was a hundred!"
            The Lord looked at her and said, "Oh!  I'm sorry, my dear.  I didn't recognize you!"

Thanks for laughing with me!  And now we have solved your gift-giving problem for at least two-thirds of your list.  Can't beat it--hardback, 129 pages, $9.99, and autographed by CLP. (Send names if you want the books personalized.)  Go to:http://www.clpearson.com/personal_gifts.htm

 
IT GETS BETTER.  In the wake of a rash of highly publicized gay youth suicides that resulted from bullying, a brilliant YouTube support has sprung up--thousands of groups and individuals urging gay kids to hang on and don't give up, because "It gets better."  For a great one from Broadway, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeKI8biAglU&.
 

ANTI-GAY-BULLYING MESSAGE FROM LDS CHURCH.  October 12, 2010, http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12795071&pid=1 .  "This past week we have all witnessed tragic deaths across the country as a result of bullying or intimidation of gay young men. Such appalling events simply have no place in our society, and we join our voice with others in unreserved condemnation of acts of cruelty, or attempts to belittle or mock any group or individual that is different - whether those differences arise from race, religion, mental challenges, social status, sexual orientation, or for any other reason."
 

CLP HONORED BY SALT LAKE UNITARIANS! The annual "Fairly Free Thinker" Award will be given to Yours Truly by the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City for my work on behalf of gay people and their families.  Anyone wanting to participate in their "Standing on the Side of Love" auction on November 13.  See http://www.slcuu.org/auction  
 

MORE GREAT STUFF FROM MY DEAR FRIEND TREVOR SOUTHEY:   "A LIFE REFLECTED-A HALF CENTURY OF PRINTMAKING"--the first exhibition and sale of its kind, featuring more than 65 works of etching, lithograph and sculpture from Trevor's long and illustrious career. This landmark exhibition explores Trevor's artistic evolution presenting works from 1959 to the present.  Saturday November 6^th at the McCarthey Gallery in Park City, Utah.  Trevor will be available for print and book signing and will also hold an informative discussion about the etching process. 
See: http://www.facebook.com/l/1d84dYltXDb_-tAMWn0lsEap6rw;trevorsouthey-studio.blogspot.com/    

FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF NO MORE GOODBYES: CIRCLING THE WAGONS AROUND OUR GAY LOVED ONES ($14.95 value) with each order over $30. Through November 8.  Christmas books, poetry, inspiration.  Go now to: http://www.clpearson.com/personal_gifts.htm.  

And now—moving from Halloween's fear and fun into Thanksgiving's tenderness--a lovely thought for the season:

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." ~G.K. Chesterton


Thanks for opening this email.  Thanks for walking with me on this great journey. 

Your friend,