I changed the template

The other seemed stuck. That technical computer talk.
Hope you all had a nice Christmas.

Merry..

My niece sent us this Christmas card. Doesn't it make you smile?

I almost got hit by a car tonight. We were just talking about hard it was to see in the darkness and rain. I got out to run into the corner store and didn't see a car coming because another was between us. I was being stupid and the car was driving fast. It scared the crap out of me and the driver, too.

And, as you ponder my demise, here are some pics of my sisters back yard after the New England ice storm last week. Now it's all buried under 20 inches of freshly fallen snow.

Fresh Choice?

As I was walking out with my 'To Go' lunch special from Fresh Choice, I passed the help yourself frozen yogurt area. There I saw a little girl licking the cover of the jar used to sprinkle sprinkles (or Jimmies) on your dessert. She was licking it like it was the last sugary treat she was ever going to have.
You will remember this the next time you approach that counter!

Maddow's Thumbs

Spouse A pointed out Rachel's thumb remind her of Sissy's (Uma Thurman) in "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues". Now I can't keep my eyes off them.

The movie was so bad, it was good. The sound track really is good. The book, by Tom Robbins..I don't know. 'Didn't read it.

No lasts

I was in Boston recently. I love Boston. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I hadn't left 17 years ago. I don't regret the move, Spouse A being the most important reason, but I really do love the city. I have a facebook link for pics and keeping up w/neices at school. I had posted that I was sorry about thowing a 9-iron while playing a horrible game of golf yesterday. An old friend from Boston commented..."It was 27 degrees in Boston. Stop the whinning."
Oh, the "No Lasts" thing. This is the beginning of our last holiday season in the area, I tear up when I hear this is your/our last. I really don't need to be reminded.

Who's buried in Revere's Tomb?

Sat night

After an evening at 'The Big Company's' convention party, I was left with a need for some nourishment. Something other than those little party appetizers and fondue. I had room service deliver a sandwich.
It was good to get out of the dress shoes and outfit and just relax after doing business talk all day.
After finishing the sandwich and dessert I put the tray in the corridor for pick-up. The entries are in a bit of an alcove, set back from the corridor. I pushed the tray out a bit further so neither my next door neighbor or myself would trip over it. I pushed it a little further out and heard 'click'. I'm in the business. I know what that means.
The door shut and locked behind me. I am now standing, outside my room, at about 11:30 pm in a Patriots T-shirt and big old lady white cotton underwear. Pure horror.
I stared at the lock as if the power of D.D. could open it. Dumb ass.
I then knocked on 3 nearby doors until a ladies voice said she would call the front desk.
As I heard her call, a gentleman walked by. He was very gracious, giggling only slightly, commenting on the fact he had the same T-shirt.
The front desk guy come along in a few minutes. It felt like forever. I apologized for the outfit and all he said was, "At least you have clothes on".
Was he suggesting people get locked out there naked or was he thinking that he might have lost his eyesight if he found me standing there with less on that I had?

Get out there on Saturday and get mad!

Protests will be held from coast to coast this Sat, the 15th, over the passing of Prop 8 or 'H8' as we call it here in the 'hood.
I'm heading back east for a D.D. convention and will hopefully get to City Hall. Boston's City Hall is adjacent to the site of where our demand for our liberties where first fought. John Adams lectured on freedom from England on the steps of Fanueil Hall. Protesters planned the Boston Tea Party from the Old South Meeting House on the corner of Washington. And the Boston Massacre was just down State Street.
The last time I was in Fanueil Hall was to celebrate the passage of the Gay Civil Right Law of MA which passed in '89 but not cleared of bureaucratic stuff until '91. Hopefully we won't have to wait that long this time.

H8

Rally in the Castro, Nov 7.

Some pics from the Castro

The day after the election.
A declaration thanking those that supported No on 8 and the Rainbow Flag at Half-staff with a black banner attached.

We're devastated.

Prop 8 passed taking away my right to be married.

Oh ya, we voted for the new guy. A black guy. Ohh...times are changing! I even heard a political pundent say the final political taboo has been shattered.
OK. So women may as well just quit trying since this was the LAST barrier to be broken.
And even Obama, the new Messiah, doesn't believe in my right to marry.
Excuse me as I sit out at the party celebrating his election.
Besides, I best stay home and wait for those 2 young missionaries to come and repossess my wedding license.

Grant me a weak moment.

OK. I know it's election day and there are important things to discuss BUT. . Did you hear Dr Erika was fired from Grey's Anatomy? Damn. Just when Spouse A would put up with watching it, relegating her CSI to On Demand, they go and fire Erika, closing down the one storyline worth following.
You see Dr Callie Torres (very hot) the orthopedic surgeon and Dr Erika Hahn(smart and less crabby since they've had sex), the heart surgeon, fell in love. It has been well done and we certainly looked forward to how the relationship progressed. It is (was) the only gay story line on network TV!
They're played by Sara Ramirez and Brooke Smith.
Read about it at 'After Ellen.com'

No on 8

It's a no brainer.
It's a matter of civil rights.
My marriage only effects my life and the life of Spouse A.
Taking away our civil right continues the reign of the "Taliban of religious zealots" stealing liberties in the name of their god.
Is their mission any different than what our noble soldiers are supposedly fighting against in the middle east?
I've been asked what we would do if 8 passes? I really don't know.
I will boycott any businesses that have donated to the passage. I will join the many others who will sue the state for my marriage to be recognized.
And I think I will come out as the Atheist that I am.
Maybe if people realized there are many who do not buy the theism and doctrine created by religious cults, they wouldn't be afraid to just say, "No". No to their ability to change our civil laws, education, choices and freedom in the name of their gods.
Keep it in your church, not in my life and not in my marriage.

How did the Bible, Book of Mormon and the Qur'an get into my civil liberties?

What do you think Lincoln would do?

Happy Halloween from Hope Cemetary

The Barre, VT area was home to some major Granite quarries. Talented stone cutters from Italy came to work the quarries and in their free time they would sculpt. Many made their own grave stones and for their friends.
They're fantastic!

From the Apt.

As my time in this apt is short, I'm getting a bit carried away with 'view' photos. Here are a few more with the fog rolling over Twin Peaks and downtown with fog weaving through the canyons of buildings.

From A & S's garden

A lucky shot.

High Holiday!

I've been blog challenged.
Halloween. Ah, my favorite holiday. Actually when you grow up with a mother who thought Halloween was more important than Christmas you can't help but enjoy it.
She always made our costumes. Not sewn. Made. There was the single eyeball made out of the largest beach ball she could fine. When you're 8 or so it covered you whole body. Picture one eyeball stumbling down the road, in the darkness of a New England fall evening. And then there was the year my sister was the Jolly Green Giant. The green didn't come out of her hair for weeks.
Once we were a tribe of cannibals. This was in the early 60's, mind you. Wearing those fox furs from your grandmother and burlap tied around your waste was pretty intense. Never mind the mop head she died black and stuck wire in to have it stand on end. Adorable.
I think of Halloween as Mother's Day.

A few wedding photos

Our wonderful cake and a fabulous piece of artwork from our friends Tracey and Shirley.

We tied the knot

It has certainly been an exciting few days. My beloved and I got married Fri afternoon at S.F. City Hall. It was a beautiful ceremony surrounded by wonderful friends and family. My sisters and one niece made the journey from back east. Friends from MA and KY also came. Spouse A's sister was a witness and my dear friend, M was the other. (According to the gender free license, I'm Spouse B)
After dinner we had an appetizer and champagne reception at the wonderful old St Francis hotel. I think it was a beautiful, old fashion gathering for a couple of old fashion lesbian gals.
It's Sunday night and we are just exhaused. I will download some photos later in the week.
Tonight, we will rest.

We got the license

We got our wedding license yesterday. The emotions that come with all of this continues to be a wonderful surprise. It's all very exciting.
As we drove home, east on McCallister, a Lexus SUV was drifting from the right lane into our left lane. He probably didn't see me along his rear side door. Well I tooted. That's all. Just to let him know I was there. This guy went nuts.
He did cut in front of me and continued to stop and go for a couple of blocks. He kept looking at me and yelling at his side mirror. Kinda funny since I couldn't hear a damn thing. And the final treat was him stopping the car, getting out and grabbing his crotch and shaking his basket with vigor. My honey and I were just splitting a gut.
I know people say the ole 'he could have a gun' but damn, you can't always be afraid. This guy wanted us to be. I wanted him to know he didn't scare me and that he looked like a silly ass, not the big bad man. I aimed my phone to take a photo but, of course, I had turned my (work) phone off. Damn. We did turn when we could. (No need to push your luck)

San Diego Firefighters

Four firefighters are suing the city because they were subjected to Catcalls and sexually suggested comments while driving their trucks in the Gay Pride Parade.
Their lawyer said the issue is they shouldn't have to participate in a parade where firefighters have been harassed in the past.
I have been to decades worth of parades and I have NEVER heard anything but positive responses to the Firefighters. Could it be because, as dykes,we enthusiastically cheer on and smile at our lovely lady fire fighters. Maybe men are a bit more out there with their sexual comments?
A friend once said that the reason gay men and women aren't allowed in the military is because straight men are afraid they would be treated by other men the way they treat women.

Addendum: The Fire Chief is a Lesbian!

The boys on the float is typical of one of the terrible scenes the firefighters were subjected to. This is actually what their lawyer has offered as evidence.



HELLO!

Rachel Maddow

Apparently this is MSN's new star! I don't know if I can take all the success we're facing recently. A dyke staring on MSN, a female redneck VP candidate, marriage for me and my honey, and an African American in the white house (hopefully).
I could live without the redneck.
My Little Jock Sis has claimed Rachel as her new paramour. Though I haven't seen her on TV, after a little web surfing, I don't blame her.
Paramour: "A lover, especially one in an adulterous relationship". Rachel is in a relationship. My LJS is in an unhappy one.

SF - In the morning sun and fog.

From our living room with a helluva zoom..
B of A and of course the Transamerica buildings in the morning sun and fog.
I think I'm going to start calling the Trans the 'Trany' building for now on.
You read it first here!

Ms Steinem

From the Los Angeles Times

Palin: wrong woman, wrong message

By Gloria Steinem

September 4, 2008

Here's the good news: Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president. We owe this to women -- and to many men too -- who have picketed, gone on hunger strikes or confronted violence at the polls so women can vote. We owe it to Shirley Chisholm, who first took the "white-male-only" sign off the White House, and to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hung in there through ridicule and misogyny to win 18 million votes.

But here is even better news: It won't work. This isn't the first time a boss has picked an unqualified woman just because she agrees with him and opposes everything most other women want and need. Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

Gloria Steinem is an author, feminist organizer and co-founder of the Women's Media Center. She supported Hillary Clinton and is now supporting Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin

What a man with a vagina looks like.

Next blog...

.. have you notice how many bloggers are Christian types?

While you ponder that question, here's the next:
True Blood anyone? (New on HBO). I really liked it. Though I was never a Buffy fan or ever read the True Blood series, I found it intriguing. Anna Paquin is terrific. I wondered why we don't see her more. She's fabulous. And Alan Ball has always delivered. He's the writer (taking from an existing text) and director.
Well, there is plenty of nudity, violence, an adorable gramma (love Lois Smith), the standard cast of supporting stereotype friends. Tara is a hoot. Check it out.

Obama

Sure, I'm going to vote for him.
It's pretty much a no brainer and anyone that says they're a Dem but will vote for McCain are simply nuts.
The two party system is certainly far from perfect but it's what we have and we have to make the best of it.
As they used to say back in Beantown, "Vote and vote often".
And vote Obama!
And if you're in CA, vote NO on Prop 8 which declares marriage must be between a man and a women.

Our friend

How does one wake up every morning knowing the day will be filled with severe pain and discomfort? Our friend is very sick and struggles to lay without pain. If I was a religious person I would pray for her to be free of the misery but I'm not so I can only wish her good speed, whatever that means.
Before I get too sad by talking about our friend, Ill digress.
Does having a belief that there is an after life make it easier to deal with dying? I think a lot of folks would just be totally freaked out if they didn't think so.
Susan Sontag's son said that people thought that her behavior in her later stages of her illness suggested she found Jesus and was trying to repent before dying. He said the truth was she was an atheist and was scared about simply no longer being . . just not being.
When I think about it as I go to sleep at night I shudder and try to count doors.

Welcome to my world

And of course, it's my world and it seems to be getting smaller all the time.
We barely left the house this weekend. There was a time when being home doing nothing much over the weekend was a sign you don't have friends and have no life. Is this still the case? I don't know. I hope it's because I'm old and lazy.

The Olympics are fun, even though I hate everything Chinese except the food and even that is beginning to bother me. I know, don't be a hater. It's not the people...well, maybe yes, it is the people. They have created the government of injustices and exploitation of the poor while the rich get richer. Oh, wait that last part is about us.
Well, I digress.
The Olympics:
You have to love the hot new swim suits on both the men and the women.
I feel bad for anyone playing our professional basketball team.
And why are the gymnasts always hurt and why do we send guys that are hurt to begin with when I'm sure there are people right behind them that can do as well, especially since they're hurt?
Beach volley ball is fun to watch. I wanted Latvia to win. I just had to look it up to see where it is.
What the hell is that handball thing?
According to 'After Ellen' there are more out dykes in on the olympic soccer teams than in any other sport. Ya, tell that to the softball babes. Oh, wait. That was OUT dykes. They're little more out in European Soccer than the US is in softball.

It takes a village.

How does a group of kids, sitting in a booth at Fresh Choice, get away with swearing, using the N word, lingering way beyond a lunch hour, without an adult (or another kid) saying anything to them?
I stopped and stared and they seemed to shut up. What about the adults sitting on either side?
I was just walking by. Maybe someone eventually said something because as I went back to get something from the line, they were pretty quiet.
Adults must speak up! I bet their parents would be horrified to hear their boys talking like this. Hey, it takes a village.

Manners

An unusual stop at the grocery store:
The deli lady offered me a sample and was very pleasant. She spoke English too.
A guy who had stepped away from the grocery line for a second. When I noticed the cart and his return (at the same time), he allowed me to go in front as he saw I had just a few items. Shopping was a not so bad an experience!

And then there was the guy who expected me to look up a number for him when I told him I couldn't help him but gave him a lead on where to find what he needed. . . and he never said thank you. Ass.

Strolling of the Heiffers

You've heard of the 'Running of the Bulls' in Spain.
Brattelboro, VT celebrates their bovines by leading them on a leisurely stroll through the center of town. It will be followed by a rowdy concert staring that rabble rouser Pete Singer. Of course this is all to benefit the local farming community.
You gotta' love VT!

Yay!!

245 days until I give my 2 week notice!

People do not change

I just spent a few days with family on the other coast. It was a wonderful trip as it's always good to be in New England and I really do miss my sisters and bros.
We're the older generation now and that sucks..oh well.
Out of the blue (I'm sure it took all she could muster), my youngest sister brought up moving in with the significant other. She quickly followed up the announcement with, "She has changed". (Is it the result of a very sad event in her family?) Another sister and and I sat with our jaws hitting the lovely hardwood floors, in shock.
This changed person is the one I saw verbally tear apart a teenage host at a restaurant the night before, because we sat down for pizza a few minutes later than he originally told us!
I know this one little event is not a big deal in itself but it is a reflection of something more. It is a behavior that we grew up with and feared constantly. It's an extension of emotional abuse. The poor public behavior witnessed is the same one drilled into you at home. You become the one not doing it right, the lazy ass, the one that doesn't get it. "You're lucky I'm here. No one else will put up with this!"
My sweetie sister has been putting up with this shit for a few years, without having made a commitment. She was slowly developing her vertebrae and taking the crap less and less. Now, because the abuser is melancholy, she's changed?
Dammit, people do not change!

Did I tell you we're getting married?

Now that we have gotten into it, it's very exciting. I'm the cynical one but damn, this is really cool. I never in my life thought that I would be getting married. But WE are.
I love you honey bunny.

Hate is such a strong word.

I hate how the US has lost it's position as care giver of the world. The good guys. The freedom fighter for those that can't. We're the bully when it comes to finding oil but what about all the other stuff going on. US manufacturing, farming, mining?
We have lost it all to the most inhumane, slave driven, ecologically disastrous, nation in the world. The one we used to fend off from spilling over and destroying cultures (remember the late 60-early 70s). I hate China.

Pregnant children

I just read about the surge of pregnant teens in Gloucester, MA. Though there is no proof at this point, it has been suggested they talked about becoming pregnant as a group thing. They were all to become pregnant at the same time and then they would take care of each other. How F.Uped is this? And there children will suffer the consequences of it all. Whether the group action is true or not, for girls to become pregnant at such a young age is crazy!
One of my Xs often bemoaned, "It's easier to have a baby than get a driver's license."

Then you have the 12 year old girl who chase down the 18 year jerk than ran off with her Lemonade stand earnings. She had him cornered in his house until police came and took him away. You go girl.

Not guilty

R. Kelly was found not guilty of sex with a minor. Justice? Maybe it wasn't him in the video. Why did his defense team drag this on for years?

Inept

My company recently hired a new Project Manger only to realize he has obviously exaggerated his experience. He's now up to his neck in a mult million $$ project and the profit is trickling out his ear..
At the end of the day we're going to have to count our loses and hopefully get him on a simple project as the dust settles. No one can go in and salvage the wreck the project has become.
Lesson: Go with you gut!

IT IS about gender

Dianne Fienstien hosted a meeting between Obama and Hillary last week. Today it was reported that she said gender did have a large influence on the Democratic outcome and suggested Obama better recognize the slam Hillary got and offer her the VP job. A lot of people voted for her and are not ready to jump on the Obama band wagon.
I heard she might be offered the position of Secretary of State. That would work.
Just because Obama is the candidate, doesn't mean I will like him. If I did wouldn't I have been supporting him all along? Having a woman VP would certainly help me along a bit.

Sex and the City

We saw Carrie and the ladies this afternoon. Yes, we're of a certain age when you CAN go to the movies during the day. My GF even got a Senior Discount! Not the point. I digress.
I loved the four wild and crazy chicks of NYC. Of course they're hot and not real but I still love their city lives. I like their friendship the most. Having good friends keeps me from just staying in bed in the morning.
The movie was about Carrie's marriage to Big and forgiving.
The marriage issue made me squirm in my seat a bit. We're getting married later this year. Why marry? What are we saying by getting married? Will it change my relationship with GF? I really can't answer these questions. I just know getting married feels right. It will make our life together different than it has been. I figured we would spend the rest of our lives together even before the marriage thing came up. Maybe now I will feel less illegit. Does this sound like internal homophobia? I think a lot of us old 'queer as folk' have negative feelings soometimes. Why else would the world deprive us of simple rights if it wasn't that being a dyke was not what a good Girl Scout would be? And I was a damn good Girl Scout!
I would like to think that I don't need the law on our side, but, damnit, it feels good to know we will be deemed a real family. (Never mind that our property will be transfered to the other upon death without having to go through estate issues)
We're getting married in City Hall, too. Maybe I'll wear Manolo Blahnik.

Dianne Odelle Died

Dianne had lived in an Iron Lung for nearly 60 years. Though she had grown weak over the last few months, the last breath came as the result of a power outage. Her mother's back up generator was not working as well.
She was a high school grad and even wrote a kids book. It was about a tiny star that dreamed about becoming a wishing star.
Maybe Dianne made a wish upon a star.

Getting Gas

There was a Lincoln Navigator in front of me at the gas line this morning. It had a "In Memory of" written out in those white letters on the back window. It was for a 5 year old boy that died last year. How sad to have lost a child.
The posting on the back window of their car made me sad, too.

Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

Mass. officer's gun goes off during safety class
A firearms instructor in southern Massachusetts has been assigned to other duties after his gun accidentally went off while he was teaching a class on weapons safety.

Officials say the Glock handgun discharged while Maj. Donald Lamar was demonstrating to Bristol County deputy sheriffs how to safely holster the weapon.

The bullet ripped a hole in Lamar's pants but missed his leg and foot.

Sheriff Thomas Hodgson says the officer made a "gross error in judgment" by not emptying the weapon before the class last week.

Lamar, a certified firearms instructor since 2005, was transferred to another division.

Dumb Ass division.

Gay Marraige

I was so nervous in anticipation of the CA Supreme Court announcement today. It has been such an unhappy year I didn't expect the decision to be any better than yesterday's headline.
Well, low and behold! We got it!!!
My GF, of over 15 years, and I can now share the same benefits as those straight citizens. We no longer have to pay a lawyer to assure my access to her hospital room, half of our house, or pension. Most importantly, I feel legitimate. We're not 'less than'.
It's an incredible feeling and I wish you all love and happiness and I hope you
feel the same happiness we finally feel.

Do I sound like a man hater?

Well, I'm not. I'm just sick and tired of men abusing, killing, demeaning, and terrorising women.
And yes I'm a flaming feminist with no apologize. Put that in your pipe and choke on it.

Victor Pantaleon

Killed the mother of his children and then went on to try and kill her mother.
What a man!
I really hope he gets what he deserves. (Northern CA)

The cult of Morman child abusers.

What's happened to the men in this cult? Any charges yet?
And the kids? I hope they can create families with their siblings but far, far away from the cult.

Dowd

Maureen is irritating. Her writing is acidic and mean spirit. While reading her last essay, I was so caught up in her venom I lost the point. It's hard to imagine a writer sounding more misogynistic than she (sans penis!).

Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold died this past week. I remember him as the first Country Singer that I was exposed to that I actually liked. Earlier exposure was limited to Dale Evans and Roy Rogers.