No Enemy

One thing Bush had going for him after 9/11 was the fact that there was a foreign "enemy" to go shoot and blame for the tragedy. This time there isn't anyone to go fight or blame. Well, maybe he could blame God. But then that would surely turn off his base -- the religious extremists. Can't do that.

And even more unfortunate for him is the people to blame for the poor response time are his own appointees. The sign of a good leader is in the strength of the people he hires. Will the president EVER take responsibility? Will the buck EVER stop at his desk? Doubtful.

Add Another Fumble to FEMA's List

It seems FEMA can't get much right these days. Add United States Geography classes to their ever growing list of training. Yesterday, they sent a plane full of NOLA evacuees to Charleston, except they got the wrong state.

A South Carolina health official said his colleagues scrambled Tuesday when FEMA gave only a half-hour notice to prepare for the arrival of a plane carrying as many as 180 evacuees to Charleston.

But the plane, instead, landed in Charleston, West Virginia, 400 miles away.

CNN has the full story here.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't one sign of GOOD leadership the ability to hire/appoint qualified and effective individuals?

Way to Go CA

Now for some good news. The California Assembly passed the Same-sex marriage bill. Gov. S., please do what's right.

Read about it at SFGate.com

Mommy and Daddy Bush: Go Home!

Mommy Bush has a way with words. She takes the knife, twists and pushes it in further while adding a little salt to the mix. Appearing with her perfectly set hair, clean name-brand clothes, she spoke with the ignorance of the priviledged.

E&P reported her words of ignorance. Just look at this: "And so many of the people in the arena here, you
know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she
chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."


and

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas." hmmmm....why is this so scary? Maybe she's just a racist. She finds it scary that the population of Texas might frow by 250,000 BLACK people. Oh, terror.

Nice, Barb. Shrub, send your Mommy and Daddy home. They're ruining you even more.

Shame on the Talking Heads

I knew I shouldn’t have looked at Boob O-Reilly while eating a delicious Mexican dinner. I quickly lost my appetite. He claimed that “all” the people stranded in NOLA were there because they made a “bad decision”.

Shame on this asshole. Shame on all the talking Airbags that use this line. I’m tired of hearing these bozos claim that all the people stranded made a bad decision. Of course they’re saying this from the comfort of there dry, comfortable high rise somewhere. And then, just to make themselves sound somewhat human and empathetic they make a pitch for American Red Cross or some other aid organization. Bah! There cold hearted bastards.

People stayed behind for all kind of reasons. Some were too old to leave. Some were too sick. Some were too poor. Some were children. Some just couldn’t get out in time. Take 105 year-old Nita LaGarde in this AP Photo, for example, bound to a wheelchair. How could she get out on her own? Does she even have close family that can help her? Or this sick and elderly lady. She’s dependent on the mercy of others too.

The stories of these peoples lives are probably tragic and heart wrenching. Their lives may be filled with overwhelming loneliness and despair but now look where they are….nothing. There entire lives' possessions are gone. And all the talking heads have to say is blame them for staying behind. What cold hearted airbags! Perhaps we should send the Bill O-reilys of the world to live in what is left of the Big Easy.

New Orleans? What New Orleans?

Rehnquist Dies. New Orleans no longer exists. Forget the tragedy in NOLA. Who cares now, right? The media has just turned off their generators in NOLA, packed their SAT trucks and turned around headed for D.C.

The Vacationer-In-Chief was just handed another "Get Out of Jail Free" card.

Let's Get this "Straight"

I get a kick out of the anti-gay conservatives who use quotes around the word marriage when qualifying it with the word homosexual. It's their way of demeaning the loving, committed relationships between two people of the same gender. So I guess I should just refer to them as "compassionate" "christian" "conservatives" (with their heads up their asses). Take a look at this article from the "conservative", "christian" online "news" source, "agape" "press".

...The head of the Family Research Council says Americans must keep a close eye on the impact that Canada's decision to legalize homosexual "marriage" could have in the United States. Perkins believes homosexual activists seeking to eradicate the institution of marriage realized they could accomplish more in Canada than they could in the U.S. He says, "In some cases it appears that homosexual interest groups in this country have taken this agenda to the North of us because they felt the ground was more sympathetic, and are pushing for these measures through both the courts and Parliament only to come back to this country to make reference to them in trying to shape public policy in this country." The pro-family leader says these efforts are about "this elusive desire from homosexuals to get a seal of approval on something that I don't think they could ever be satisfied with; but in the process they will destroy the institution of marriage." Perkins is warning pro-family Americans they can expect the pro-homosexual movement to try using Canada's approval of same-sex marriage to influence the marriage debate in the U.S. [Bill Fancher]

Oh and...why do the "conservative" "christians" think that the act of two people getting married will "eradicate the institution of marriage". Take a trip to a Southern Baptist Summer Youth camp where you're likely to see hordes of pregnant teenagers. No, mayber they're just fat and gluttonous. Anway, both abominable acts.

The History of Marriage

Stephanie Coontz’s editorial in the New York Times today is timely given the recent vote at the United Church of Christ General Synod.

The conservative religious right (more appropriately named the religious wrong) would have us believe that the current structure of heterosexual marriage has been in place for thousands of years. As Coontz points out they couldn’t be further from the truth. Marriage has evolved over time. (Ooops! Maybe I shouldn’t use the word “evolved”. James Dobson and Co. may deny the existence of the word.) Marriage has evolved to change with the times. A roll back to bygone years would simply be unfeasible. Do women really want to don their aprons again to be the bread baker and not the breadwinner? Should it again be permissible for a man to divorce his wife if she turns out to be barren? Should women submit to their husband’s every sexual advance (from the twin bed beside her)? Come on! Is this the type of society we want to live in again? Of course not.

Dobson, Falwell et al would have us believe that the image of the 1950s is the way marriage always was and should be. They are spreading lies that hurt and not heal.

An Incredible Day!

God is Still Speaking!

Today was a day for tears of joy and tears of sadness. Some are renewed in their spirit. Some are confused and discouraged by their church.

But above all today is a day of great change in the United Church of Christ and quite possibly the stepping stone for change in our country. Among many other resolutions the one on same-sex marriage passed overwhelmingly.

Are We Listening?

If the pending UCC vote wasn’t exciting enough news, the following story came off of www.365gay.com. It seems the United Kingdom Methodist Church has voted to allow their churches to PERFORM ceremonies for gay couples. Keep your eyes and ears open because good things are happening!

UK Methodists To Perform Gay Union Blessings
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: June 30, 2005 8:00 pm ET

(Washington) The Methodist Church has become the first major denomination in the UK to endorse same-sex unions. Leaders of the church in an historic vote agreed to allow ministers to perform blessing ceremonies for gay couples.

Britain's civil unions registry begins in December.

Speakers at the Church's annual meeting almost unanimously voiced their approval of the plan. Only one speaker cited Biblical passages condemning homosexuality.

The delegates to the meeting voted to authorize the Faith and Order Committee to develop a liturgy and advise ministers on how to conduct the ceremony.

The chair of the Committee, Rev Jonathan Kerry, said that the service would be available in the fall - in plenty of time for the first civil unions.

But, Kerry said that the service will not approximate a wedding ceremony, even though he conceded that many people would see it that way.

There are 300,000 Methodists in Britain, making it the country's third largest denomination.

The decision to bless gay unions is in stark contrast to the Anglican Church which is deeply divided over the role of gays.

The largest Methodist denomination in the United States - the United Methodist Church - opposes same-sex unions and forbids non celibate gay clergy.

Meanwhile, the United Church of Christ will vote on a same-sex unions motion this weekend.
Earlier this week the denomination's leader announced his support for gay unions.
The 1.3 million-member United Church of Christ has a history of supporting gays in its denomination, dating to 1972, when it ordained the first openly gay minister and established a gay caucus.

©365Gay.com 2005

The Time is Now

The United Church of Christ is now positioned to make a worldwide statement. They have everyone’s attention right here in Atlanta. They have the potential to set ripples through our society, to set our country on the path to full acceptance of same-gendered relationships. There are many signs that the time is now to accept this resolution.

The AJC published an interview with the Rev. Robert Chase, executive director of communications for the United Church of Christ. When asked about the TV ad campaign he had this to say:

The campaign has been tremendously successful for our church. Worship attendance is up, and giving is up. And it's been effective in the pride of membership. Since December, people have been saying "You're the church with the commercial" or "You're the church of extravagant welcome." People are aware of us now, and profile with society at large has been significantly increased.

How incredible is that? The UCC “goes out on a limb”, They opened their hearts, their minds and their doors (hmmmm….sounds like the ad campaign from UMC). Instead of people turning away, people have flocked to the church. The UCC is growing not by telling people they aren’t welcome but by showing them that they can be a whole person in God. Wow! What a concept! A church that actually accepts all of God’s creation.

I remember the controversy surrounding the commercial when it first aired. Probably the only reason I remember it was because some TV stations refused to air it. Their refusal was the best advertisement for the church. My partner, Jeffrey and I watched the ad on the web. I felt chill bumps. I couldn’t believe that a church was actually making such a bold and radical statement. (hmmmm….weren’t Jesus’ teachings radical for his time?)

I hope they vote for to accept resolution. People have responded to the ad campaign. The energy and excitement is present. The United Church of Christ must pass this resolution. The time is now.

United Church of Christ and Same-Sex Unions

{NOTE: July 4, 2005, After reading this enty, please move to the beginning of my blog to read more.}

Very soon we could have the first mainstream Christian denomination church, the United Church of Christ, to endorse the recognition of same-sex marriages.

This from news in Atlanta:

The Rev. John H. Thomas said Tuesday that the church’s General Synod "should affirm the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender persons to have their covenanted relationships recognized by the state as marriages equal in name, privileges and responsibilities to married heterosexual couples."

Perhaps it will become increasingly difficult to pass a Constitutional Amendment on marriage if a mainstream church is supporting it. What’s really exciting about this is that the head of the denomination is making a public statement of support.

Oh Canada!

It looks like our neighbors to the north took a giant step into the history books. Canada passed same-sex marriage legislation with a 158 – 133 vote. Congratulations! Makes me wish I was a Canadian.

Pride Encounter

I'm a sucker for chachies at Pride. I don't know why but I feel I have to accept everyone's bag of useless plastic toys and ads, most of which I throw away when I get home. Perhaps its just my inner pack rat coming out. I see an opportunity to horde more stuff so I seize the moment.

In my exuberance to collect as much as possible I approached a woman passing out fliers. I asked her what she had. She handed me a pamplet and said it is a free conference. I took it, stepped away, glanced at the front of the flier, read
Exodus International, turned to her, handed it back. "No thanks," I replied the best look of disgust I could make.

Damn, I was too polite. Why was I polite to her? What I wanted to do was shout at her. I wanted to show my anger. I wanted her to feel uncomfortable. I wanted everyone's eyes to turn to this woman and know exactly what kind of fink she was. Sheneeded to know the pain she and her cohorts cause.

Standing beside her was another "Exodus-flier-passer-outer". It was a man that was neatly dressed with a coordinated outfit, stylish glasses, and a well manicured coif. It was apparent he had spent more than a fleeting straight-man moment on
his hair, taking a moment to admire himself in the bathroom mirror this morning. But his overall appearance was stuck in limbo between the gay man that he really was and the "straight" man that Exodus taught him to be. He wanted to go all out with attention to detail. At the same time, though, he wanted to leave some edges rough and unkempt. It showed. He needed liberation.

As I stood off to the side looking back at them, I played out several scenarios of response in my mind. I wanted to go up to her and give her a thoughtful, articulate explanation of why she was wrong. I wanted to tell her that she should feel ashamed and to leave. I wanted to tell her the man standing next to her pretending to be straight was the next John Paulk. I wanted to ask her about the investigation of abuse by the state of Tennessee at Love In Action. But I couldn't. I was so angry that I couldn't formulate a coherent argument in my mind. After all this was my day – our day - to celebrate our lives. Why couldn't she just leave us alone for once? Give us one weekend of fun to be ourselves, to be left alone by the deafening noise of contempt from the outside world. She had come to my party covertly, uninvited, unwanted.

As my friends and I walked away I looked back over my shoulder and locked eyes with her in a cold, long, uncomfortable stare. That was the only response I could
formulate without going into a blind range. Afterall a response like that accomplishes nothing. Somehow, I felt that I conveyed my message. Something in her stare back showed that she registered the rage I felt.

Mission accomplished.

Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener.

That is what I'd truly like to be.
'Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,
Ev'ryone would be in love with me.

It looks as those my efforts to eat healthy, fresh foods is going to be tanked for
the next few months. Instead I'll be buying boxes of Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese, Oscar
Mayer wieners, countless boxes of Post cereal and downing Maxwell House coffee.

For my transgressions, I blame Donald E. Wilmon, Chairman of the American
Family Association, and Jerry Falwell (we all know this gluttonous ballooning man).
It seems they aren't pleased with Kraft Foods' support of the Gay Games. (Something
about being anti-family or something.) The AFA is encouraging they're drones
to send emails (from their website) and call Kraft foods asking them to oppose the
Gay Games.

So I decided to launch my own mini boycott. I used the AFA's own tools to send an
email of support to Kraft. I encourage you to do the same. Go to the American
Family Association 's
Take Action Page. They have a standard letter that you can sign your
name to and send. These Right Wing Wackos are so stupid they let me edit the email
to say whatever I wanted. Well, I mischieviously changed the email from their
wording:

I am greatly disappointed to learn of Kraft's sponsorship of the Gay Games.
I ask that Kraft withdraw its sponsorship. If Kraft does not withdraw its
sponsorship of the Gay Games, and if American Family Association calls for
a boycott of Kraft, I will participate.

TO MY wording:

I am very pleased to learn of Kraft's sponsorship of the Gay Games.
I ask that Kraft continue its sponsorship. If Kraft does not withdraw its
sponsorship of the Gay Games, and if American Family Association calls for
a boycott of Kraft, I WILL BUY MORE KRAFT PRODUCTS.

I hit send. Hehehehehe....I turned the AFA's gun around and pointed it back
at them. You should give it a try to. Write whatever you want.

My bologna has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R.
My bologna has a second name, it's M-A-Y-E-R.
Oh, I love to eat it everyday, and if you ask me why, I'll say,
"'Cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A."

Tenn. investigates ex-gay camp Teen's blog leads to outcry, charges of abuse at unlicensed facility

Ah, yes, at last the state of Tennessee takes notice. The Washington Blade reports that the protests in front of the Love In Action torture facility in Memphis, TN caught the attention of the Tennessee Departments of Health, Mental Health, Human Services, Child Services and Education.

Perhaps the real atrocities will be revealed. Now, I can go to bed happy.

Those "Loving" Southern Baptists

It seems the Bush needs to scare up some poll numbers for himself. Apparently, there isn't much action from the "terrists" out there. When the "terrists" fail you do the next best thing....bring up the unConstitutional Marriage Amendment chatter again.

This was publish on WVLT Volunteer TV:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. President Bush today praised Southern Baptists for their strong family values and again proclaimed his support for a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.

Bush told the 11-thousand Southern Baptists convening in Nashville that they are practicing compassion by defending the family and the sacred institution of marriage.

It's the fourth time the president has addressed the convention, which boasts about 16-point-3 (m) million members and more than 43-thousand churches.

The conservative Southern Baptists heavily supported the president in last year's election.

The group adheres strictly to conservative theological positions.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

hmmmmm.....

Love In Action

I'm completely revolted after reading about Love In Action "ministries" in Memphis, TN. By the way, their web site is down right now, probably because they have received so much traffic. Or they're further cutting themselves off from the rest of the world.

Love In Action, Inc. is a hate group that psychologically abuses teenagers and young gays and lesbians by holding them against their will in order to "turn them straight". They have received lots of press recently in part because one courageous young man (Zach) blogged about his pending incarceration.

"They [Zach's parents] tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me, and they 'raised me wrong.' I'm a big screw up to them, who isn't on the path God wants me to be on. So I'm sitting here in tears, joinin [sic] the rest of those kids who complain about their parents on blogs and I can't help it," Zach wrote. "I've been through hell. I've been emotionally torn apart for three days... I can't remember which days they were ... time's not what it used to be," the teen wrote in his last blog entry on June 3.

Let's hope he comes out ok and that he can continue on with his life. Zach also posts pages and pages of Love In Action rules on his website. The rules are so long, detailed and full of "don'ts" that anyone would eventually break one even without trying. The entire "ministry" sets up their abusees for failure.

The one rule that stands out as particularly ironic if not abusive: 1. Be honest, authentic, and real.

How can these prisoners be true to themselves when told they are lowly scum?

Snowflake Babies

"Taking the life of a human for the hope of treatment for another is wrong," Mason said. "Human embryos are not leftovers and invaluable clusters of cells. Human embryos are human and have value because of this." No, I'm not condoning such opinions here. Its from an article from the wackos at Focus on The Family.

This entire debate over freezer burned blastocysts seems completely absurd to me. In fact there should be no debate at all. After all, what's more noble than giving up one's life for the betterment of humanity. That is if you consider a freezer burned lump of cells sitting in a petri dish for years a "quality life". Everyday we honor nobler soldiers who have given their lives for the cause of Bush Democracy. Why not just say these cells gave their potential lives for the advancement of all society? That seems a pretty noble cause to me.

I can see it now. Twenty or thirty years in the future, Right Wing Christian (RWC for short) groups will be lining up outside cancer treatment facilities chastising patients cured of cancer. They'll chant,"10,000 babies gave their lives so that you could live one more day." What a bad nightmare!

Bush et al. twist and mangle the facts (actually, just make up untruths) to pass their shameful agenda. They parade "snowflake" babies in front of the cameras, kiss them and claim that this child would not be alive today if it hadn't been for some unintelligible Bush agenda. They use the innocent children. But the RWC has been known to "use" innocent people to push their own agenda in the past. By the way, what ever happened to their grandstanding beside Teri Schiavo's hospital bed?

Why not use these flecks of human material to solve larger puzzles? Why not do something useful with them? Yes, useful. After a certain time in the freezer the cells are tossed out, in the trash, to the landfill (sorta). They don't even get the honor of a funeral!

Where are these RWC groups going to find 300,000+ willing wombs to carry these children to full term? That's where my idea comes in. Why not allow gay couples to adopt the embryos? If its two women, perfect!...one can carry the baby in her womb. If its two men then use the services of a surrogacy firm to find a willing mother. There are plenty of eager gay couples to have their own child. What a perfect match! How ironic! The gays help the RWC and the RWC help the gays.

I Turn 29

tomorrow. This one crept up on me. I'm not scared about 29. Its not a biggie for me. Maybe next year my tune will be different as I leave my 20s and head into the 30s. Maybe next year I'll be putting on the breaks, trying to slow down the inevitable passage of time.

On the other hand, I was more afraid of 25. It seemed big to me at the time. For some reason I had in my mind that it was a major stepping stone. Perhaps the step from youth to full adulthood. Of course it also could have been the fact that life just wasn't going the way I had hoped. Before my 25th birthday I had just recently moved to Atlanta -- to me, a big city, full of opportunity, tons of coming-out possibilities, anonymity, free to be myself, independence, excitement. Here I was unemployed, waffling on whether to continue my chosen career path in software development or launch into something fresh and new.

That summer John Mayer filled my head with questions. (I listened to John Mayer before he was so popular that the radio stations overplayed him.) I was yearning to find the truth in my life. I wanted a definite answer. I remember playing John Mayer's Why Georgia song constantly on my stereo.

I wonder sometimes
about the outcome
of a still verdictless life
am I living it right
am I living it right
am I living it right
why, why Georgia, why

How fitting it was that his song was about Georgia. Here I was looking for the outcome in my verdictless life. That year I dubbed the yearning in my soul as a "quarter life crisis". I trudged on in my chosen field. And yet, I still don't know if I made the right decision.

Now at almost-29, I realize that answers never come easily or quickly. Often we make decisions and still wonder if the choice is right. But we follow the paths of our choices, hoping they will take us to the right destination.

I still have the "quarter life crisis" feeling occasionally. Maybe I should reevaluate this feeling. Maybe it isn't a quarter life crisis at all. Maybe there is something inside yearning to come out. I often feel that I'm following someone elses path in life and not my own. I still have questions that need to be answered. And then again maybe I just need to "grow up".

Nerd Heaven

I downloaded my first eBook tonight from eReader.com. I wanted to download Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down but it was not available on eReader.com. Instead, I chose How to Be Good by the same author. Since I'm not even finished with the first chapter I won't try to give a book review, something which I don't do well anyway.

At last, with my eBooks on my Tungsten E I'll be able to read in bed, beside Jeffrey with the light off. How cool! Now my Tungsten is my organizer, financial planner, date keeper, parking space number reminder, to do list, video game, jukebox, and mini library. How scary to think that without it now, I may be lost.

Now off to bed with me! Jeffrey's asleep but my Tungsten awaits.

Asparagus Pee

I steamed Asparagus for dinner tonight. And as always, I'm reminded a few hours and many pees later what I had for dinner. Asparagus pee, as many of you may know from first hand experience, is quite possibly the only food that continues to remind me that I ate something good for me.

Love is in the Air

The recurring theme lately seems to be marriage; marriage in general, and Gay marriage specifically.

My brother and now wife were married last weekend in St. Louis. (I was the best man. I had a post written but never posted.) Then I read with delight about Scott and Ian's wedding in The Netherlands. Now, Matt writes about the 2nd Annual Wedding March.

Jeffrey and I have talked about marriage on many occasions. I know Jeffrey is ready. My god, we're already living together. We share financial responsibilty. We share time with each other's family. So it wouldn't be such a big step. I know at this point Jeffrey is waiting for me to ask him because he tells me he doesn't want to feel rejected. Yes, I'm the one dragging my feet.

I don't know what's holding me back. Its not insecurity about the relationship. We've weathered many crisis in both our lives over the past two years that would challenge any commited couple. Its not lack of acceptance on the part of my family. They'd love to go to our wedding. They would have no problem with it whatsoever. So really, I don't know what the hold up is. Maybe I'm waiting for some sign. Maybe I just have the proverbial gay conflict: commitment-aphobia.

I guess this is one of those items that should go on my "things-to-work-on" list.

Brick Store Pub

After spending the entire day on Lake Lanier with some friends and their new boat, I dragged Jeffrey out to a new restaraunt in Decatur. Well, a new restaraunt for us. We so easily fall into a rut when its time to go out to eat. The conversation goes something like this.

John: "So where do you want to go?"
Jeffrey: "I don't know where do you want to go?"
John: "What are you in the mood for?"
Jeffrey: "I don't know. What are you in the mood for?"
John: "I chose last time."
etc.
etc.
etc.

And of course the inevitable happens, we start listing off our regular places. In the end we go to one of two places. We're not terribly exciting about our going out to eat choices.

But tonight, we added a new place to our repertoire. I had heard about the Brick Store Pub several weeks back. And I'm quite fond of dark, earthy pub-like restaraunts. This one certainly fit the bill. The food was hearty, pub food. The setting was nice low light with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. When the hostess sat us in a small room within 2 feet of two other two-tops and three feet behind a 4 top (all full) I first thought this was going to be horrible. We would hear everyone's conversations and vice versa. I get uptight when I think others can overhear my conversation. But surprisingly it didn't seem so bad afterall.

The menu was very extensive on the beers. They just opened a Belgian Beer bar with about a dozen beers on tap and over a hundred bottled beers. It was truely overwhelming (but in a good way).

After a satisfying meal and beers, we headed out to the town square where the Saturday evening concert was taking place. Decatur, fondly referred to as Dyke-catur, is a refreshingly progressive small bedroom community to Atlanta. It was pleasant to see gay couples comfortably walking around the town square. I love living in this area.

Working Out

I had my free Body Fat test at the gym today. My number: 18.2% body fat. Although that is in the "average" range, the trainer doing the test said my goal should be in the "good" range at approximately 12%. Ugh! How can possibly reach that goal? I thought I was doing pretty good already. I try to cook low fat, simple, healthy meals, exercise daily. Its hard work trying to stay healthy, much less trying to be fit at the same time.

I'll try for the goal but I'm not promising anything. Maybe that's the wrong attitude to take...

Gay Marriage

I found these numbers in the May 23 issue of Newsweek. Although there isn't a source
cited for the numbers, I still like them and thought I would share them with you.

Its a "year in numbers" for gay marriage in Massachusetts.

May 17, 2004: Date same-sex couples began legally marrying.

6,142: Number of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts from May 17, 2004
until February 2005.

2,170: Number of male couples.

3,972: Number of female couples.

30,872: Number of heterosexual marriages in Massachusetts during that time.

56%: Public support in Massachusetts for marriage equlaity in April 2005.

35%: Public support one year ago.

53%: Public support across the nation for a constitutional amendment defining
marriage as between a man and a woman.

14: Number of states that have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage
since 2004.

84%: Percentage of Massachusetts voters who believe gay marriage has had a
positive or no impact on the quality of life in Massachusetts.

So there. I like those numbers and the obvious implications they make. Who knows,
if you saw this same type of article in a religious magazine you might see a
different spin. But I like to think that the good people of Massachusetts have
seen that same-sex marriage hasn't hurt their communities. In fact there may
be many ways in which their communities have benefited.

On that note I love to see two families
come together for a special time in the lives of a couple. What a beautiful
celebration! Maybe one day Jeffrey and I will be married. :)

TAR

Now that The Amazing Race is over maybe I can return to my regular sleep patterns. At this point Bush could win a third term and i'd still be happy. There's nothing sweeter than seeing Rob & Amberexia come in second (a.k.a first to lose). I was so happy for joyce 'n' uchynna i think i woke the neighbrohood....now if i could just get to sleep. I downed an entire bottle of wine (minus jeffrey's one glass) just too calm my nerves. Alot of goood that did. I'm still wound up.

Despite not having cable, Jeffrey and I got addicted to The Amazing Race, not my typical television fare. However, this one really got me. Every Tuesday night was a nail biter. And every Wednesday morning was impossible to get out of bed. Maybe I'll be ok tomorrow since I'm going to work late. Tomorrow I'm taking Sebastian (the dog) to Happy Paws Pet Camp for his "temperament test". He's staying there over the weekend while Jeffrey and I are in St. Louis for my brother's wedding.

Overheard in the Mother's Day Card aisle:

Father to Son, "Small doses of her go a long way."

Sebastian uses the pitiful look to get more treats. It works. 

I just paid the final deposit for our trip to England at the end of July. I'm really looking forward to this trip. Jeffrey hasn't been out of the country before. He's even a bit nervous about the flight over. But I'm trying to be encouraging and keep his mind focused on other things.

Its been 4 years (November 2001) since I last traveled to Europe. That's four years too long. Before that I traveled at least once per year since graduating college in 1998. Wow! That's quite a few trips, the longest being for 2 months after I graduated.

I miss traveling. I miss going to new cities and countries, exploring, being in different culture. Its an adventure because I never know what to expect regardless how much I've planned.

My interest in travel started back in 1986 when I was going into the 5th grade. My family (Mom, Dad, my brother and me) took a trip to England for 6 weeks. Dad is a minister. He was doing a "pulpit exchange". We basically swapped houses, churches and communities with another family in England. We lived in there house, drove their car while they lived here in our house and drove our car. I dont' know how mom and dad paid for the trip.

They kept telling us (as did everyone else) that this was the "trip of a lifetime". This was a "once in a lifetime experience". I guess I wanted to prove them wrong. So I decided to start traveling to Europe when I got the opportunity. Fortunately, during my years in college I had many opportunities that I seized.

I want Jeffrey to experience the same thrill and excitement I get when traveling some place new. Its more of a selfish desire than anything because I want us to travel more. Actually, I want us to travel a lot.

So this trip, which we're taking with our church choir, is a good step for Jeffrey. Although it is a group trip (I prefer traveling alone or in pairs), it will be a good organized way for Jeffrey to get a taste of traveling.

Now if he can only stay calm for the entire, I think all will be well.

I just thought I'd sit down and write a bit tonight. Nothing specific. Its just that I've been having trouble sleeping the past few nights and feel like getting up to write. But I know if I do get up, it will be a long time until I sleep again. And since my mornings start really early, I try to get as much sleep as possible.

Its quiet with the fan running in the background. Jeffrey's downstairs packing his stuff for work tomorrow. I'm drinking a glass of wine to settle down. I try not to drink during the week because I have a terrible time waking up in the mornings even after one glass of wine. But I need just one to settle me down right now. Maybe tonight I'll get a better night's sleep.

And besides, right now no one is reading my blog (or going to it). So I can write whatever I want. Of course I haven't really publicized my blog yet because...well, there's nothing good yet. I wanted to get a few posts up first. Start establishing my voice. Decide what I want to write about. Decide what I want to say. Then I'll start posting on other sites and hopefully directing traffice my way.

So tonight is just a stream of conscious.

I'm stuck again.

Runaway....

As the story of the runaway bride here in Georgia unfolds, I find more disturbing
not Jennifer Wilbanks' poor judgement or selfish behavior, but the fascination and
obsession we have of her story. We've become nosey voyeurs peering into someone
else's bedroom waiting to catch them showing emotion or maybe doing something
wrong. She made a mistake. So what? Who cares that she skipped town the week of
her wedding? CNN/Money posted pictures of some of the gifts that were purchased on
their registry. The estimated value of her wedding (approx. $100,000) was also
reported.

But its not her mistakes that are disturbing to me. Its what we watch on TV. We somehow feel entitled to know what happens to people that "appear" in the news. Its almost like we're at the zoo and ANYTHING that person does is fair game for our eyes and ears. We're quick to judge all their actions, forgetting that most of what happens is never reported. The family emotions, complicated relationships, specific events surrounding her dissappearance are never known. And without the specifics we love to conjecture, judge and conclude.

I don't watch that much television because I don't subscribe to cable. However, I do watch network news occasionally. Although, I mostly read the news online. This past Saturday, after she was found, our local Fox station aired a disturbing video of her family's reaction. The footage was shot during the night from outside the house, looking into the kitchen. You could see the family moving around, hugging each other, smiling, obviously elated with the news. It was as though, the family didn't have the right to privacy at this point. They were on display and all their emotions and private moments belonged to us.

This reminded me of similar news footage when Martha Stewart was released from prison. A video clip of her in her own kitchen was widely distributed.

I don't really have any conclusions about why this is happening. Just some observations. It would be easy to just sit back and say that its the media's fault. They're feeding us this crap. Yet, I don't think that's always the case.

Hey! This isnt too bad....There are some things I could change to up the number.

You Will Die at Age 79

79 You're pretty average when it comes to how you live... And how you'll die as well.

What Age Will You Die?

Tonight we went to Naked Boys Singing, a musical revue with nude males singing on stage. This is the show that was shut down by the Atlanta Police because they claimed it was adult entertainment. According to the mistaken police, the venue, The Armory, doesn't have a license for showing such nasty things like the man human body. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin jumped in and said that the police misunderstood a city ordinance. The show opened back up and is still running. A very successful show. Atlanta needs to loosen up a bit. If people want to pay to see that then let them! Its not like the conservative suburbanites were being bussed in and forced to view it, eyes sewn open. The guys didn't even get erections. No sex acts or simulated sex was performed on stage. None of them could even pass as a porn star.

All in all, it was a fun show. We had a ball...except for the audience member who kept trying to harmonize along at the end of all the numbers. "TRYING" is the key word. He was singing a quarter step flat each time. He got louder as the show continued. Fortunately, this wasn't "high art". After all, it was in a cabaret theatre, which made for a nice intimate atmosphere.

Go see the show but be ready to have fun.

Tonight Jeffrey and I participated in Project Open Hand's, Dining Out For Life benefit. We went to one of our favorite funkly, eclectic restaraunt, Agnes & Muriels. Yum!

I just ordered the palmOne Tungsten E Monday. Waiting for it has been like waiting for Christmas. I haven't bought myself a new gadget in a long time. I have obsessed over the delivery, tracking the package on the FedEx website. (Yes, I'm a dork.) I even calculated the amount of time it would take it to leave Memphis, TN (the origination point) to Atlanta. And what do ya know, it made it the time I calculated.

But then I got a blow yesterday when I got home from work to find a sticker on my door from FedEx. Supposedly they wouldn't leave it since no one was there. GEEZ! Who has time to stay home and wait for the FedEx man to arrive. So last night I signed the sticker and posted a note on my door instructing the delivery person to LEAVE the package at the door.

Of course this still didn't satisfy my anticipation. So I drove home during lunch (only about 15min.) to see if my new Tungsten E was there.....of course not. I even waited. Sorted through yesterday's mail. Read 3 credit card offers and a "You've-Won- A-Car-Come-Pick-It-Up" offer. No knock at the door. No package. It feels like the day after Christmas and I STILL don't have what I asked for.

Now I'll have to wait until after work.

During my lunch break I took a stroll through Centennial Park. What perfect weather day! The sun is out, slight breeze, 65 degrees. Ah, I love this season. I can escape the florescent-lit office space. I can escape my boss's chatter. I can get a breath of fresh air.

Here I am, "Johnny-come-lately", stepping out into the blogosphere, years after it was *cool* to have one. Now, its a bit passe. It seems that every angle on every subject is already expressed somewhere out there. Afterall who needs another witty commentary from some stranger halfway across the country or world for that matter.

Actually, this is only half true. I've started my own mini blog many times. And quit many times too. I just forget that I have it, forget the password, the url or whatever. I run out of time. I don't think I have anything good to say. Or I just get so bogged down in the details of the design that I lose interest out of frustration. But this time is different (that's what I said the last 3 times). This time I'm setting myself up for success. I'm keeping the design simple. I would say minimalistic but then that would impose a design style that I can't promise to keep. Thus I might once again become bogged down in the design and never get around to writing, which is the whole point. So I'll just say "simple" and leave it at that.

It will grow to become whatever it becomes. About my writing style: I would like to aim toward fun,witty, entertaining with my own insight on world happenings, food, politics, what have you. But this is not a polished version of writing. Whatever I write is what I post, warts, wrinkles and all. Bad grammar, bad spelling, and even sentence fragments. You'll understand my point.

So here we go....I'm building onto what I had stored away on Blogger. So you can read what I was writing about during the 2004 elections. Although it doesn't come across in my postings I was very active with the politics during that time.

By the way, I will eventually be moving this from Blogger. Stay with me while I get this started.