Here and Gone - Snow and Human Rights

As is typical of a light spring snow, everything was melted and gone by noon and by the end of the afternoon, our temperatures were in the 50's - coat carrying weather instead of winter coat wearing weather. There have been times we've had massive spring snows, but this was more typical. One of my friends noted that she had rarely had spring snow in her life. Although I've lived in places were it is usually snow-free by the end of March, I've also lived in places where the snow could still surprise us in May. I guess I just roll with the punches.

This photo from Michigan really made me laugh. Our
snow from yesterday morning is already melted. 

Speaking of - a couple more of my good friends have joined the current Live Journal exodus. I'm part of DreamWidth too, but I find interaction there much more stumbling. Still, I hate to lose friends over a "Red Scare" so I'll make the attempt to keep up with those of you who have shifted over. At this point, I feel that most things on the internet exist in many areas and that there is nowhere that is "safe" for posting much of anything. But my communities and the majority of my friends are on Live Journal, so that will continue to be my primary posting location.

Several more of my LJ friends have posted that they have
left LJ for DW. I'm on DW too, but I'll stick with LJ for
the time being. I can't live my life in fear or hide under a rock. 

That said, I still do post my daily blog to DreamWidth too, so you won't be out of touch with me. I just always feel that I don't get full notifications of everyone else's posts on DW.

I've been fighting for LGBTIAQ rights for years now. I guess
the fight will continue for the rest of my life. *sigh*

I notice that North Carolina is trying to get a bill through their legislature that would once again make gay marriage illegal in that state. My cousin has already moved away, so she won't be directly affected by this, but it's such a disappointing move backward. They finally change their "bathroom bill", and then jump right back into the muck with this new idea. I'm extremely disturbed about this latest turn of events.

Once again, what was thought to be the law of the land is
being called into question. Sexual orientation is not a
"choice" it is genetically hard-wired. ARGH! 

So, today is my "day off" and my list of errands is ridiculously full. I hope each of you has a wonderful and joy-filled day. I'll be back on Thursday.

Find Your Safe Place - Safety Pins and Colors

So the election is over and the populace are slowly recovering their minds. I think we're all a bit shell-shocked and looking for a safe place. I made a long statement on Facebook yesterday about why I wasn't changing my profile picture to the all black square so many people are sporting since the election. I seem to have hit a chime - lots of likes and some shares. The positive reaction and my refusal to blend into the dark background made me think of safe places. If there is any such place in your life, where is it? Care to share?

Understand that anyone in need can look to you
for support and help. You don't get to pick and
choose. You don't sit with the bullied child but
ignore the Muslim woman being attacked who
looks to you for help. The pin is a responsibility,
not a fashion statement. 

I see a lot of people wearing safety pins now, both plain and embellished. I guess I see the embellished ones because I sell to very crafty people and there's something about a plain safety pin that irks us. We want to embellish everything. But will the meaning of the safety pin disappear when it is embellished? Will it still be recognized as a signal/symbol of a safe place? For a lovely blog post about the rights and responsibilities as well as how to de-escalate a bullying situation, check out this blog post.  

If you choose to wear the safety pin, you are agreeing
to do the things in this list, and perhaps other things to
help make people feel safe. It may never come into play,
but it could be dangerous for both the target and for you.
This isn't a trend. If you put the pin on, understand the
responsibilities you are embracing. 

Not everyone will want this responsibility, and that's OK too. We all have to find our safe spot before we can venture out of it. My statement of "I'm not going to join the anonymous many in the dark cave. I'm going to wear my rainbow colors and be proud of the equality we've managed to obtain in this nation over the past century," may not be, and most likely is not, yours.

I have a banner similar to this as my Facebook avatar and
have used it for years. I haven't changed it since before the
Supreme Court approved gay marriage and have no intention
of changing it. People don't need to see my picture, they need
to see who I am. This is a much better description than
a picture or a black square. 

Escape to a safe place, however, is essential to help lower stress, and that, in turn, is essential to physical and mental well-being. Do you have a safe place? Are you willing to admit that you need to retreat to that safe place now and again? Is it a physical location, or is it an activity instead? A safe place doesn't have to be a mountain, waterfall, garden or cave. A safe place can be picking up a brush and your watercolors, or writing in your journal, or pulling the kids around you for a Finding Nemo", "Finding Dory" marathon.

You can always settle for a marathon movie event with
the kids. The ocean not your thing? How about "Ice Age
1, 2, 3 and 4"? Want angst instead? Go for "Gone With
the Wind" and "Titanic". That should work. Just
find your safe place and cocoon for a while. Relax. 

Whatever and wherever your safe place is, make sure you use it when needed. It's going to be a rocky and very stressful four years. Have a great Tuesday. One of my safe spaces is the pool and I'll be there, swimming my mile, in about an hour.

Support Others - It's More Important Now Than Ever

It's the first weekend in our new world. What are you going to be doing this weekend? Mine will be quite normal - work on Saturday, work on holiday cards while watching football on Sunday. But if I happen to go to a bar or restaurant, I'm quite sure the topic of conversation will be the election tempered by the personalities and the fears of each individual. The last item is the linchpin that will drive these next four years - fear.

Don't let fear rule your life, actions and reactions. Treat
people with kindness and respect and they, in turn, will
treat you similarly. 

Fear is what drove this election and fear is a powerful force. Fear of those who are different that ourselves and cause us to build mental and physical barriers creating lands of "me" and "others". Minorities are fearing attack crimes will go unreported and unpunished. Bigots who are already active, those who want a less inclusive and less welcoming society, seem to be feeling more comfortable as they contemplate actions of hatred against others.

The hijab is the head covering worn by many
Muslim women. It's purpose is to cover the hair. 

Already I've heard of young Muslim ladies having their hijabs pulled away from them, Gay, lesbian, transgender and other people who aren't the "norm" in the eyes some prejudiced turds, are feeling true fear as they go about their daily business. An acquaintance of mine, a talented young gay man with a rainbow sticker and a Hillary sticker on his vehicle, has already had "Faggot" yelled at him from the driver of a truck with a Trump/Pence sticker on the back. What was he doing? He was putting his groceries into his car. The safety pin movement that started after Brexit is beginning to take hold here, giving the bullied and frightened a safe place to turn for an instant ally. Wearing a safety pin is a start, but we need to convince ourselves and others that despite the changes in national policy, we still live in communities that welcome everyone we welcomed a week ago.

Do we need to be afraid to express our pride? 

This was a national election and it will change our world in a lot of ways. But we live in a trickle-down society and even though the Presidential brush is broad, the paint drips down in much smaller amounts to affect us on the regional and local levels. Did you vote for local candidates? Did you elect new representatives, senators, councilors or mayors? Did you vote for local judges or amendments and propositions? These are the people who will directly affect your lives every day. In many cases, we tend to re-elect familiar names so unless those people really messed up or decided to retire, the old guard is firmly in place.

Maybe we should all be putting these on our vehicles while
wearing safety pins in our lapels. Maybe our friends and
neighbors need to know they have allies and support. 

After the novelty wears off, after the 100-day mandate that every President seems to get, things will settle down. When we look back through the glasses of history, I hope that a lot of the hoopla will be viewed as overblown rhetoric that ended up being a lot of hot air. We just have to support each other and push away the hate until things settle down once again.

SCOTUS and Back in the Saddle Again

Today is uber-important because arguments will be presented to the Supreme Court of the US regarding marriage rights for LGBT individuals and the fact that the right to marry should be national in scope, not just state-by-state. I suspect a decision will be handed down in June, but the arguments are today. My thoughts and prayers will be focused on clear ears and positive thoughts all day. Why does it matter?

America has always been in the vanguard of personal rights and liberties. But
we lag behind much of the world when it comes to LGBT rights. I hope the
arguments presented today and the decision to be presented later this year
finally bring us into line with the rest of the progressive world, acknowledging
gay rights for marriage in all states, regardless of individual state laws. 

There are a lot of things that a marriage license conveys that are more than just a piece of paper. There are survivor rights, guardianship rights over any children shared by the spouses, the right to have the spouse at the bedside of the other in hospital or hospice care settings, and many other basic rights that most of us take for granted.

Marriage licenses are issued by specific states and their legality
doesn't pass beyond that state. This case is asking that SCOTUS
mandate that marriage licenses from other states be honored in all
states, even if the couple married is LGBT. 

So while we are thinking about the injured in Baltimore, the victims in Nepal, and the work that has to be completed by the end of the day, spare some prayers for the plaintiffs presenting their case before the Supreme Court. Let's hope the US can live up to their claims of freedom for all with a positive decision in this case.

Heterosexual marriages performed in other states are recognized throughout
the US as legal and legitimate. Gay marriages are not. This dichotomy
must end and gay marriage must be legally considered the legal equivalent
of  any heterosexual marriage throughout all states. 

Finally, after two days off, I'm back to the gym today. I've missed it! Yes, it was only Sunday and Monday, but I missed a Guppy Day to go to my Chiropractor. But Dr :Pat is important too. It'll be good to hit the elliptical this am, and then Body Pump with the new release that I'm still not quite used to. My arms will be screaming by the time I hit the showers. Yippee!

Congrats to Chickie for finishing her Ironman Bike Challenge ride. She
did really well! 

Did I remember to tell all of you that Chickie succeeded in her goal of 30 miles in the Minnesota Ironman Bike Challenge on Sunday? It's the longest ride she's ever done and she had a great time. WTG Chickie. And I'm off, have a wonderful Tuesday!

Forward Steps and Redesigns

The Supreme Court voted yesterday against hearing the petitions of lower courts in several same sex marriage cases, paving the way for six more states in the US to have legal same-sex marriage. This adds Colorado, Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin to the rolls of states where same-sex marriage is now legal and paves the way for several other states who were waiting on final word from the Supreme Court, including Kansas, North and South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.

More states approving same-sex marriage will make me very happy today. 

Of course I'm delighted in the ruling and the expansion of states where equality of love will now be legally acknowledged, but I'm also concerned because this ruling is far from the end of this controversy. But it's a great step forward and so today I'll allow myself to celebrate before returning to the work of getting same-sex marriage approved throughout all of the United States. Gay rights are civil rights and I cannot, and will not, turn my back on civil rights - a battle I've fought for throughout my life.

Dreamscapes always have an underlying sense of unreality to them. When
they don't, they are sometimes a 'true dream' or what used to be called prophecy. 

Thanks to all of those who commented on my "Dreams" post yesterday. I was fascinated by some of your responses and the ways that you dream. It has been said that dreams are the windows to the soul, and it seems that some of you have a wonderful time exploring that aspect of yourself in your sleeping hours. Generally, I love my dreams and rarely have nightmares. Perhaps, closer to Halloween, I'll put in a post about nightmares and things that go "bump" in the night. That should have some fun interchange as well.

If these trees had green leaves and the sun was shining, it would be a
fun place to explore. Strip the leaves and give it a grey, murky sky and it
becomes the stuff of nightmares. 

I used my new toy - my Xyron sticker maker - yesterday morning on my Solstice cards and it works a trick! I'm absolutely delighted with it. I was hoping that I would get each card complete with four inches of paper, but they were running closer to six inches. So, rather than run short at the last minute, I ordered some adhesive refills yesterday which will be delivered on Friday. I should have this part of my cards complete by Saturday morning and be ready to move to the next step.

Careful planning can avoid mistakes like this one - where
is the door onto the second balcony? 

Making my cards is always a multi-step process and I usually start the basic planning almost as soon as I have the cards in the mail. I still have work to do on this year's planning and really did a few things out of order. That's causing me to have to pull out some inventive procedures to make sure that everything is done properly. In fact, just writing this paragraph is making me rethink one aspect of the cards and revise it in my mind. This, actually, is very good, so I'm not objecting. Just writing this down may have saved me some frustration, some wasted expensive paper that I can use for next year's efforts instead, and allowed me to rethink one design decision. Hmmm.....

The bridge is a total fail - OOPS! Once again - planning and double-checking
could have solved this before it ever got to this point. But what would
we have to laugh at if it had worked properly? 

It's just Tuesday and it feels much later in the week. I hope things are going well for all of you. I'm signing off now to redesign some parts and refine my schedule so that I won't have a horrible crunch time as I get closer to Solstice. Of course, having NaNoWriMo take my November away does affect my "free time" ... just sayin'. Have a great day!

Here's a Sexuality and Comfort Question For You...

An acquaintance of mine (J) was recently given tickets to see Cher by her husband who accompanied her to the concert. She's a huge Cher fan, he's not, but he knew his wife loved the singer and wanted to give her an experience that she would remember for the rest of her life. So they dressed appropriately (she's quite the glam queen) and saw her while they were on vacation a couple of weeks ago. I happened to see J recently and asked her how the concert was.

"Fabulous," she gushed.

"And how about his Imperial Badness? Did he enjoy the concert too?"

"Well...not so much."

Cher, now in her upper 60's, is still a very attractive woman and
a rare talent in the field of entertainment. 

On further inquiry, it was revealed that the reason IB didn't like the concert wasn't the quality of Cher's performance. No, the reason IB didn't like the concert was because of all the gay men seated in the rows directly ahead of them. Apparently having a large group of gay men "...twittering and gesturing and dancing..." directly in front of him brought his hetero-armor to the front.

She continued her explanation and said that although he normally was not a demonstrative person in public, he put his arm tightly around her shoulders, pulling her against his body, and held her there for the duration of the concert as if to say "I'm not gay. I came with a woman, not a man."

Public displays of affection are fabulous. I didn't feel that IB's actions
were a PDA, however, rather almost a heterosexual battle stance. 

I was amazed, to tell the truth. That he would feel so threatened by homosexuals in close proximity to him floored me, and it got me to thinking...

In any group of women, you're probably going to have several women
who are not heterosexual, or at least who are not exclusively heterosexual.
I don't find that to be a problem or a reason for me to feel
uncomfortable within the group. Is my feeling of comfort that unusual? 

As a woman who has friends and relatives who are either gay or lesbian (and a few transgender), I have never felt threatened by them in any way. To be clear, I'm a female who is 100% heterosexual. There's no longing or desire hidden deep within me for a female to share my bed or my life at all. But I also have no issues having females or males who are gay as friends, or going out on the town with friends of any sexuality. I'm just not threatened in that respect.

I have to ask, so I'm throwing out the question. Is IB's reaction common? Do males feel more threatened by close proximity with homosexuals than females do with lesbians? Do they mind the thought that someone may be admiring their body who is of the same sex? Personally, although my body is nothing much to look at now, I was always happy to be thought of as attractive when I was younger and more slender. In fact, as a teenager and young woman I was striving to be attractive, so acknowledgement by my peers as well as the opposite sex was welcome. Do you, as a female or a male, feel threatened when someone of the same sex looks at you admiringly? Would you feel threatened in a similar situation as IB found himself in?

Why does IB's reaction seem to be a modern day version of donning
plate armor against an enemy incursion? 

So please share your thoughts on this. Do you feel threatened in any way if someone of the same sex compliments you? Do you feel on edge if you are in a group of gay people of the same sex? How about if those gay people are of the opposite sex? Still threatened? Or not? Give me your reactions and arguments because I'm really curious if IB's reaction was over the top (as I feel it was) or if my lack of reaction unusual or also over the top in the opposite direction.

Happy thoughtful Tuesday...

Thoughts on Gay Rights Progress ... or Not?

I just finished reading a book called "The Tin Box" and it left me with a lot of thoughts and fears.  The main character of the book is given a job as caretaker for an abandoned insane asylum that is slowly being restored. It's in disrepair with few funds available for restoration, but it's on the Register of Historic Places, so can't be destroyed. The protagonist lives in a small apartment in the asylum while working on his PhD dissertation.

The Tin Box left me in tears with lots of thoughts about
how our 'educated' society treated homosexuals in
our recent past. 

Exploring through the echoing halls and abandoned rooms, he comes across a small tin lunchbox that contains letters never sent from a patient institutionalized in the late 1930's for the crime of being homosexual. The main character slowly moves towards acceptance of his own sexuality while reading through the letters. The story of this patient and his 'therapy', which was accepted therapy for the times, led me to thinking about how far gay rights have come over the past 70+ years. But we have so much more to do.

This picture is of the County Insane Asylum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Just
look at the size of this building. Were there really that many people
who were insane in one small area of the US? And there were
asylums like this throughout the nation. 

Homosexuality is no longer illegal in the United States, so arresting a man for the 'crime' of homosexuality and sentencing him to jail or, as in this case, to a mental institution for a 'cure' no longer happens through the court system. But "Pray for Gay' camps still exist, as do many parents who refuse to accept their gay children, turning them out of their homes and onto the streets to make their own way.

Although the ad has an old-fashioned look, it is modern - dating from 2011.
Frightened yet? Maybe you should be. This is one of two products sold
in drugstores around the nation. 

Sexuality is not a choice, it is hardwired. The type of body that causes a sexual response from another varies from person to person, and can be a member of the same or the opposite sex, tall or short, skinny or overweight. Some people prefer blondes, others gingers or dark and sultry. Men can be attracted to other men or to women, women can be attracted to other women or to men. The attraction is not criminal, it is natural. Yet, over the years and in other nations and lands, this basic fact is not acknowledged and, in some cases, is still criminalized and punished by imprisonment or even execution.

Maybe it's time we start admitting that all sexuality is legitimate
as long as it occurs between mutually consenting adults. 

In the past it was perfectly acceptable to imprison a person for 'deviant' sexual behavior. It was common to link homosexuality with pedophilia. Those accused of the 'crime' of homosexuality could legitimately be sentenced to prison or asylums for their crime. Within those institutions they were free to be 'cured' in numerous ways including cold therapy, insulin therapy, castration and lobotomy. All of these 'cures' were centered on destroying the desire of the patient for a lover of the same sex, and all destroyed the patient or prisoner instead.

Embrace your inner queen. 

As you go about your day today, cleaning up the trash and recycling for Earth Day, spare a thought for those who have paved the road to sexual acceptance with their blood and bones. Work to eliminate prejudice and homophobia around you and remember that sexuality is a universal human condition and that it should be a joy, not a path to fear and pain. Actively try to make sure there are safe places for teens who no longer have a home. Work against child marriages and governmental sanctioned punishments for homosexuals. Work for equality - it benefits all of us.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Gays and the Olympics

The Olympics are officially open after a long, rather heavy-handed opening ceremony that was fun in a lot of ways, but lacked the precision of Beijing or the pure exuberance of London. These are most certainly Putin's Olympics and his stamp was on everything. I'm not casting blame here, it makes sense that any Olympic game will spotlight the host country for their opening ceremony. Indeed, it is expected.

Oops! Isn't there supposed to be a fifth ring? Small little glitches
like this would never have been allowed in Beijing. When this ring
failed to open, I told my husband that "Putin will be pissed - heads will roll." 

This Olympics athletes are being more open and brave about coming out as homosexual. This is possibly partly as a gut reaction to Russia's extreme anti-gay laws. There are six athletes who have publicly come out as gay competing in Sochi - all women. I give them all credit. It's not easy to be a gay athlete on the world stage, and to do so in a country that is so extremely anti-gay takes great courage. The six women are: Anastasia Bucsis, Canadian speed skater, Belle Brockhoff, Australian snowboarder, Ireen Wüst, Dutch speed skater, Sanne van Kerkhof, Dutch short track speed skater, Cheryl Maas, Dutch snowboarder, and Barbara Jezeršek, Slovenian cross country skier. These brave women, and in all probability other athletes who are still closing the closet doors for a variety of reasons, are now competing in a nation that is actively anti-gay. Very uncomfortable. Give these women your support as they compete over the next days.

Many people have protested the anti-gay laws of Russia. This protester in
was arrested in June at a protest in St Petersburg.  He carries the Rainbow Flag and
the pink triangle made infamous by the Nazi regime is prominent on his clothing.
A very brave young man. 

Russia is only one of many nations with severe anti-gay legislation, but it is in the spotlight right now. Russian law forbids discussion or disseminating information about homosexuality in any forum. This is specifically directed at anyone providing information to children or teen aged young adults - probably the segment of the population most in need of the facts. Vlad Putin is pushing Russia hard to focus on population growth in a time when the world population numbers are reaching a point of no return and planet non-sustainability. He has also been linking homosexuality and child molestation - a serious misstatement of fact that is often incorrectly cited as a justification against homosexuality. However, I'll save my tirade against child abuse for another post.

Here's a great graphic for all of you to grab if you want a FB profile
pic (resize to 180 x 180) or an LJ avatar (resize to 100 x 100). Maybe the
Russian who designed the opening ceremony rings was subconsciously
emulating this poster? 

With just these two actions - the repressive anti-gay laws and the push for population growth - Russia has proven that once again it is placing itself outside of the world community and focusing on interests that are not beneficial to the world, but only to Russia.  (I argue that the anti-gay laws are not actually beneficial to anyone - inside or outside Russia.) Simply put - Russia is selfish, self-centered, and self-focused, ignoring anyone else, and totally narcissistic. If Russia was a girl in high school, she would be the one who was so vacuous that even though she would have her own little clique, most of the student body would despise her. Yet, she would never realize it because her head would be so far up her own derriere.

Self-centered much? Russia wants to be part of the world, but keeps
building walls to keep the rest of the world at arm's distance with
antiquated laws and regulations. 

But anti-gay discrimination hits closer to home too. Just this morning I was reading about a local high school boy who was brave enough to come out as gay on Facebook within the past month and since then he has received physical threats from students in his own high school. This, in MY state - a state that has equality of marriage and one of the largest Gay Pride movements in the nation. I am appalled and ashamed that some of our children are so close-minded.

Here's one more really excellent item that is perfect for your Facebook
profile or your LJ avatar. Size dimensions are listed above. Don't have
the ability to resize but want one or both of these? Let me know, I'll
be happy to size it for you. 

I'll finish today's post with the names of some other Olympic athletes who have come out as gay, some of whom may be competing in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro:  Ari-Pekka Liukkonen, Finnish swimmer; Thomas Hitzlsperger, German football (soccer) player; Ian Matos, Brazilian diver; Brian Boitano, US figure skater; and, Tom Daley, British diver. If you want to know more about any of these athletes or Russia's anti-gay laws, just follow the link. In the meantime, I'll be watching the Olympics and continuing to work towards true sexual equality for all people, LGBT or Q. Have a great weekend.

It Took All Day But It's CLEAN!

It took all day...but my computer desk is clean again! It wasn't easy and it was a lot of paper to go through one sheet at a time, ripping it up for trash or piling it to shred, and finally lots of dusting again and again and again. But damn - it looks good and I can work at it again. There are still some things on it - it's not unoccupied by any stretch, but it's a serious difference. I'm almost deliriously happy.

It may not look clean to you, but it's pretty amazing to me. The beading pads in
the front are uncluttered and ready for work. My tools are organized on the left, my materials
on the right, it's phenomenal and a serious change from how it looked yesterday morning.

Same sex marriage became legal at midnight and the weddings started then and are still going on in City Hall in Minneapolis and Como Park Conservatory in St Paul. I'm ignoring the commentary of my DH whose attitudes about gay marriage don't mirror mine at all. I'll try to be a gracious winner, instead, and celebrate the general happiness. Joy and a lifetime of love to each and every one of the newly-legal couples who are starting a new phase of their lives.

I spent an hour on the phone with my computer guru yesterday examining the ins and outs of Win 7 - the operating system that I have on my new computer. It's quite a jump from XP to Win 7 and I had questions about how documents were stored, moving and copying, and some other procedures. It was a fun and educational talk and well worth his hourly rate.

Writing hasn't changed, only the tools have evolved.

I followed that up an hour later by my weekly phone call with Aearwen - such fun. We're both working on original fiction pieces as well as having a full slate of other projects going on and I always feel better after talking with her. I had her on speaker phone this time as I continued working down the piles of paper I was examining and culling. It was a doubly-productive hour and it was hard for us to say good-bye because we kept coming up with another topic of X or Y or Z. But there's always next week's talk. I'm already looking forward to it.

Summer magic is beginning to wind down. Don't forget to enjoy the season
while you still can. And for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere,
enjoy your winter days as you move toward your spring.

August beginss today, the summer/winter has started waning. It's flying by so quickly it's really quite frightening. DH has another appointment with the lawyer this morning to sign some documents regarding his father's estate and his appointment as executor. We really need the death certificates as well as some of the forms from a variety of locations so that we can process the next stage needed in handling the legal aftermath of his father's death. As for summer - I'll try to enjoy every day because I am approaching autumn - my favorite time of the year. Happy Thursday, everyone - enjoy your day!

One More Thing on a Long List

My surge protector has shut down my computer twice in twenty-four hours *sigh*. This is NOT making me happy and I'll be out buying a new one today because I can't do without this. I know my power is not the greatest and I depend on my surge protector, but it was already acting up and I think a replacement is in order by now. I have a phone conference scheduled with my computer guru for this afternoon to run through some questions I have on how he set the computer up. If I can't power up the computer, it will be rather fruitless, right? Just as well that I held off on buying the printer. My funds will only stretch so far...

I need a new one of these. It's less expensive to buy a new
power backup unit than a new computer. I can't afford to have issues
with power and my outlets are not very good in the first place.

I picked up a book from the library yesterday that might just work to push me through a writer's block for a story I have due in the next three weeks. I've been wrangling with the plot and characters for several weeks without success. My writing was leaving the characters flat and the scenes unexciting. In fact the entire plotline left me cold and totally uninspired. Late last week after wracking my brain for a twist that would make things exciting I came up with a possibility, narrowed it down and ordered a copy of supplementary material that I needed. That's now in my hands so I'll review it over breakfast and during the day with copious use of post-it flags. I have hope that this will do the trick.

I don't allow food near my computer, but the piles of paper aren't very
unusual in my computer room. I have to go through them now - no choice!

Of course, having the APC break down twice in 24 hours required me to access the item. It sits behind the monitor on my desk and was hidden by a large pile of papers and projects in process. (Rather embarrassing how old some of these items were.) With the second power issue this morning, I actually pulled all of the papers off and put them onto a temporary table. I have added reviewing and trashing out of date papers to my list of things to do today. At least I'll have a cleaner desk after I'm done, but the cleaning process itself will suck.

I haven't had a chance to check the box yet, but it's possible that it has a piece
of equipment similar to this one that is used to fletch the shafts of arrows.
So fun! I can't wait to take a closer look.

Among the things DH found at his father's house when cleaning yesterday was a box containing clips and braces for use in fletching arrows. I was SO excited when he told me. He said there weren't any instructions, but I'm sure I can track something down on-line or through one of the local archery ranges. This is turning into something that will be so much fun!

Baby steps, but we'll celebrate tonight because this victory was
hard fought and will bring joy and happiness to so many deserving couples.

At midnight tonight, the first seconds of August 1st, gay marriage will finally be legal in the state of Minnesota and the first marriages will begin to be performed in a variety of venues. I'm so excited for these people whose dreams will be coming true tonight. One battle has been fought and victory has been achieved. But there are still 37 states in the United States where gay marriage is illegal and same-sex loving relationships are illegal and often are prosecuted. As joyful as this day's achievements are, I can't lose sight of the fact that the battle must continue until we join the many nations of the world who admit that gay rights are civil rights and that love is not gender-blind.

I know that chocolate is your favorite, so this seemed to combine many
types in a total overdose offering. Happy Birthday, Sharon!

Happy belated birthday to my BFF Sharon! As usual I missed your birthday (mea culpa) but I have been thinking really good thoughts and wishes for you and I'll see you in a month or so. We'll celebrate at O'Gara's in style and eat lots of new food at the Fair. Happy, happy and eat some birthday cake on my behalf.

Back to the Groove

Have you recovered from your celebration yet? This weekend is Pride Celebration in my area so people will be celebrating the Supreme Court decision through the weekend and then diving into the shortened July 4th week. Party on!

I don't know the year, but this pic was taken at a Minneapolis Gay Pride
celebration. I would love to attend but DH would never consider it *sigh*.

But after you are finished with the party, you have to look around and see the uprooted bushes, wilted banners and the empty bottles in the corners of the yard. Then it's time to clean house and get back onto a regular schedule again.

Waking up after the party can be a jolt of reality.

I've been lazy with my writing, having three items on my hard drive in various stages of completion. It's rather like I'm holding my breath waiting for inspiration. So silly! I know that inspiration is all around me, that plots are always knocking at the glass doorway in my head, and I know that I just have to give myself time to listen and play. I hope I'll have a chance to do that over the next few days because I owe it to myself.

My plots aren't always as well behaved as this Playskool line is
in their Apple Store toy, but the plots still are there and progress
as they are allowed through the doorways in my mind. (Love the Segway.)

I took on a second beta job and started that last night. It seems like it will be a slow slog - lots of red. But I want to read into the story a ways and see if it is a worthwhile plot or something where I will limit it to a one-time deal. My time is limited and I have many projects clamoring for each moment I have free, so I want to make sure that I spend my time wisely. I don't mind doing favors and I enjoy the process of editing - every time I edit I learn more about how to structure and improve my own writing too. But I have to weigh the pros and cons. I'll at least work through what she gave me. I should be able to return the first chapter to her by the end of the weekend. In all fairness, I'm NOT far enough along in her story to determine if her character is a Mary Sue or not, but I thought I'd share the pic below anyway because it's fun and amusing.

Have you written a Mary Sue character? Something of yourself will usually come
through in any good characterization because it gives reality to fiction. But
there are ingredients and then there is the whole pie. Don't write the whole pie.

And speaking of weekend - I hope all of you have a wonderful one ahead of you. I don't have anything specific planned except working on Saturday, but I'm sure something will come up. There is always housecleaning and maybe, if I'm really lucky I'll get to finish some of those in-process shorter stories and return to one of the two novels I've been working on in my "spare" time...maybe.

A Celebration Today, Another Battle Tomorrow

I'm celebrating. I'm celebrating because the Supreme Court surprised me by going with 5-4 decisions in favor of declaring the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) invalid and by also declaring that California's Proposition 8 was illegal as originally stated by the Federal courts. It declared the suit invalid and that the lesser court rulings should stand. So, I'm celebrating.

A day of triumph when decisions were announced by the Supreme Court of the US.

BUT

There is still so much to do. Only twelve states plus the District of Columbia actually allow same-sex marriage under their laws and marriage is a state-sanctioned ceremony, not a federal one. So this doesn't mean that a lot of people can suddenly go out and get married, nor does it mean that marriages already made have more legality for the people involved if they live in a state that does not recognize their union as legitimate. What this does mean, however, is that benefits that would be given to any married person under FEDERAL law will now apply to all legitimately and legally married couples no matter their sexual orientation.

Social Security was supposed to be a help to retiring workers. It's become
a help but also a sum of money that people rely on getting when they are
no longer working. No matter that the fund is in serious financial problems...

This can be confusing because the various levels of law all come into play here. Basically it means that Federal rights - social security payments, pensions and annuities, estate taxes, military benefits and recognition for spouses, etc - will now need to be altered to include and acknowledge the spouses of homosexuals/lesbians. It will give same-sex married couples the right to file their Federal income taxes as a true married couple, gaining the tax benefits that exist for other married couples. It will allow them legs to stand on to be acknowledged as a spouse when one or the other is hospitalized or put into acute care where, often, the families of the afflicted person would swarm out and ban the partner from being at the side of his/her loved one.

This will not mean that states rights will also pass to the married couple unless they were married and reside in a state that recognizes same-sex marriages as legitimate.

The Stonewall Riots in 1969 were a watershed moment in gay liberation
history. There are still many places where the police won't intervene
in gay bashing or answer a call for help in such an instance.

Given that fact, I have to say that a VERY important battle has been won. I celebrate and cheer along with the rest of the people because this is monumental. BUT there are still thirty-eight states which do not recognize same-sex marriage as legitimate and which do not allow the licensing or performance of such marriages. There is a lot of work still to be done to bring true equality to all love.

I remember Stonewall, but I was involved in women's rights and black rights
platforms then and it was just a small blip on my radar. But women's rights
happened (mostly) and black rights happened (mostly) and that leaves us
with the 900 pound gorilla in the room - Gay Rights.

So, enjoy your celebrations this week and this weekend. As a nation we have come a long way from the Stonewall Riots of 1969. But after the confetti has fallen to the ground and the rainbow banner is drooping from the rain, buckle back down in the trenches and begin working on the next battle - the 38 remaining states. Don't let one major victory blind you to the end goals of true equality.

Let's paint the US in a Gay Pride rainbow. Love will conquer!

But for today...well, I'm painting the US in rainbow colors...