Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Year's Day radio show
L. and I are working on our respective best of 2009 albums list for the Poptopia Parkway show tomorrow on New Year's Day. If you want to listen, we'll be on tomorrow from 8:30-10:30 PM on either 90.7 FM in Everett or streaming on the Web from KSER.org.
Goodbye 2009
Well, 2009, we have about 6-1/2 hours left together. Although you aren't the worst year in my life, you've sure ranked right up there with some of the worst. Frankly, I'm happy to see you go. From the reports from many friends and family, I'm not the only one to feel such glee at your departure. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I see 2010 coming right around the corner now...
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Happy holidays
No, I haven't forgotten my username and password, or how to type. It's just been a difficult time recently, and (unusually for me) I didn't feel like writing about any of it. As I mentioned in my last post, we were going to visit L.'s dad for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately L.'s step mom, J., passed away the weekend before we made it down for a visit. So, we spent our time trying to help out however we could and grieved the loss.
It was a really quick trip, and when we got back I had to jump right back into work to prepare for the final release of our docs. Of course, this was right after lay offs affected our group, so we quickly felt the loss of those co-workers who were let go. That made it quite difficult both personally and professionally. But, we made it through and finally got some respite the last couple of weeks as the holidays approach.
I had a nice break recently with the visit of a friend from London, A. She stayed with us one evening and we spent the next day window-shopping together. I also visited my friend, V., to give her a Christmas gift and spent some time talking over the past year and how I want next year to be. I know that there will still be challenges, but I'm hoping for a more uneventful year. My New Year's resolution is to bring my life back into balance. It seems like I live in extremes for the most part, and finding a niche for everything that is important gets harder and harder as the years go on. I simply can't keep working such long hours and neglecting my personal life and health, so that's the balance I'll try to achieve.
L. and I are hosting the Christmas festivities this year. We're having my dad over on Christmas eve, but we plan to go out to eat instead of make anything here. Then on Christmas day, my mom's family will come, including my grandparents and both sisters and nieces and nephews. We're really looking forward to seeing everyone and making the Christmas dinner. We have the house all decorated, with lights on the outside and a beautiful Christmas tree in the living room, complete with wrapped packages beneath the boughs. The cleaner came yesterday to give the place a good once over, and we're ready to open our home to everyone. Despite the crappy year it's been, I'm determined to make Christmas one of the bright spots and enjoy some time off. My vacation has officially started, and I'm excited to catch up on some great reading, great shows, and visits with family.
It was a really quick trip, and when we got back I had to jump right back into work to prepare for the final release of our docs. Of course, this was right after lay offs affected our group, so we quickly felt the loss of those co-workers who were let go. That made it quite difficult both personally and professionally. But, we made it through and finally got some respite the last couple of weeks as the holidays approach.
I had a nice break recently with the visit of a friend from London, A. She stayed with us one evening and we spent the next day window-shopping together. I also visited my friend, V., to give her a Christmas gift and spent some time talking over the past year and how I want next year to be. I know that there will still be challenges, but I'm hoping for a more uneventful year. My New Year's resolution is to bring my life back into balance. It seems like I live in extremes for the most part, and finding a niche for everything that is important gets harder and harder as the years go on. I simply can't keep working such long hours and neglecting my personal life and health, so that's the balance I'll try to achieve.
L. and I are hosting the Christmas festivities this year. We're having my dad over on Christmas eve, but we plan to go out to eat instead of make anything here. Then on Christmas day, my mom's family will come, including my grandparents and both sisters and nieces and nephews. We're really looking forward to seeing everyone and making the Christmas dinner. We have the house all decorated, with lights on the outside and a beautiful Christmas tree in the living room, complete with wrapped packages beneath the boughs. The cleaner came yesterday to give the place a good once over, and we're ready to open our home to everyone. Despite the crappy year it's been, I'm determined to make Christmas one of the bright spots and enjoy some time off. My vacation has officially started, and I'm excited to catch up on some great reading, great shows, and visits with family.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
There is a season
We recently got some sad news about L.'s step mom, J. She was a breast cancer survivor several years ago, and had been doing well after recovery for some time. About a year and a half ago, or maybe even two years now (time just flies), she found out that she had liver and lung cancer. She has been through many treatments, and while the early prognosis seemed to be promising, things have been slowly declining over time. Today, L.'s dad, C., emailed us to let us know that the decline is becoming more rapid now. The doctor is hoping she will make it through the holidays, and in true J. fashion, she cried bollocks and intends to go down to California for another treatment at the end of the month. I pray that she is able to go and that it makes a difference. I can honestly say that in her position, I don't think I'd have such a great attitude about it all. Some people are truly special that way, and it seems so tragic that they are the ones afflicted with such awful things. L. and I are going down to Florida for Thanksgiving to be with them and hope to have a nice time with them over the holidays. And I pray for her to have comfort and love at this time.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Approve Referendum 71
In Washington state, we have a referendum up for vote called referendum 71. The premise of this particular referendum is to protect domestic partnerships in WA state. For more info about why I'm for approving this particular referendum, see Vote Approve on Ref 71.
I have a little bit of a history with this particular referendum. Earlier this year, I was outside gardening when my neighbor came over. She came over with her two sons, whom I mostly recognize because they are very polite and always ring our doorbell when their ball flies over our fence and ask whether they can go into the back yard to get it. I attended a 4th of July potluck with neighbors from our cul de sac over a year ago, and met the whole family. They are a very nice, albeit quite religious, family. Anyway, back to the day of gardening. My neighbor asks me whether I'm registered to vote, and I answer yes. She asks whether I will sign a petition for a referendum in our upcoming election, and I say yes without even thinking about it. This is because I have always had a belief that any referendum, no matter how much I agree or disagree with it, should at least be put up to vote if enough people sign the petition to put it up for vote. This is a great right. When I ask her what referendum it is, she gives me a little background mostly saying that they feel this particular issue should taken to the voters and not just approved by the WA state legislature. As I looked at the sign sheet with big letters of "Protect Families", I could feel myself start to get on the soapbox, and want to give them a good piece of my mind about how it doesn't matter what their religion says, the law is separate. But then I stopped. And I signed it anyway. And L. signed it, too. Not because we want the domestic partnership rights taken away, but because we believe in those rights and want our friends and family to have them. Of course, this is a gamble in part that the referendum will have enough supporters to back it and approve it. And it looks like it might...it's a bit hard to say. I keep praying that it does pass so that we can say that voters passed it, and not just that our legislature supported it to begin with. For some reason, I just didn't feel like getting into it with them. I'm totally fine with people believing in their religion, I just hate it when they want to impose that in law. But, I have to live across the street from these people, and I know from experience how awful things are when you're at odds with a neighbor.
As with anything political, there have been a lot of ads on either side of the issue. But the anti ref 71 ads always crack me up, as they come from that angle of "protecting families." I put this in quotes because I'm not really sure what they are trying to protect families from. Unless you're in a domestic partnership yourself, this particular law has little, if anything, to do with your personal life. What it does grant is couples the right to form committed relationships and have the same rights that are currently granted to married couples. The fact that married couples receive any special recognition or consideration by the government is already violating the separation of Church and State that is so important to our country. So, allowing domestic partnerships is just one way to kind of even out the imbalance, as far as I can see.
Let the individual religions and churches figure out whether "marriage" is between one man and one woman, but let all couples, regardless of gender, enter into partnerships that are recognized by the government as legal, binding commitments. It's only fair.
[Update: I'm seriously rethinking my dedication to signing any and all petitions for referenda. Methinks I may start signing only petitions that I agree with. Not sure...]
I have a little bit of a history with this particular referendum. Earlier this year, I was outside gardening when my neighbor came over. She came over with her two sons, whom I mostly recognize because they are very polite and always ring our doorbell when their ball flies over our fence and ask whether they can go into the back yard to get it. I attended a 4th of July potluck with neighbors from our cul de sac over a year ago, and met the whole family. They are a very nice, albeit quite religious, family. Anyway, back to the day of gardening. My neighbor asks me whether I'm registered to vote, and I answer yes. She asks whether I will sign a petition for a referendum in our upcoming election, and I say yes without even thinking about it. This is because I have always had a belief that any referendum, no matter how much I agree or disagree with it, should at least be put up to vote if enough people sign the petition to put it up for vote. This is a great right. When I ask her what referendum it is, she gives me a little background mostly saying that they feel this particular issue should taken to the voters and not just approved by the WA state legislature. As I looked at the sign sheet with big letters of "Protect Families", I could feel myself start to get on the soapbox, and want to give them a good piece of my mind about how it doesn't matter what their religion says, the law is separate. But then I stopped. And I signed it anyway. And L. signed it, too. Not because we want the domestic partnership rights taken away, but because we believe in those rights and want our friends and family to have them. Of course, this is a gamble in part that the referendum will have enough supporters to back it and approve it. And it looks like it might...it's a bit hard to say. I keep praying that it does pass so that we can say that voters passed it, and not just that our legislature supported it to begin with. For some reason, I just didn't feel like getting into it with them. I'm totally fine with people believing in their religion, I just hate it when they want to impose that in law. But, I have to live across the street from these people, and I know from experience how awful things are when you're at odds with a neighbor.
As with anything political, there have been a lot of ads on either side of the issue. But the anti ref 71 ads always crack me up, as they come from that angle of "protecting families." I put this in quotes because I'm not really sure what they are trying to protect families from. Unless you're in a domestic partnership yourself, this particular law has little, if anything, to do with your personal life. What it does grant is couples the right to form committed relationships and have the same rights that are currently granted to married couples. The fact that married couples receive any special recognition or consideration by the government is already violating the separation of Church and State that is so important to our country. So, allowing domestic partnerships is just one way to kind of even out the imbalance, as far as I can see.
Let the individual religions and churches figure out whether "marriage" is between one man and one woman, but let all couples, regardless of gender, enter into partnerships that are recognized by the government as legal, binding commitments. It's only fair.
[Update: I'm seriously rethinking my dedication to signing any and all petitions for referenda. Methinks I may start signing only petitions that I agree with. Not sure...]
Saturday, October 24, 2009
No words
This article from Susan Klebold, mother of one of the Columbine killers, is so sad. I can't even imagine how horrible that must have been for the family. It just goes to show how devastating mental illness is for not only those suffering, but for those around them.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Elbow pain
Recently, L. and I started working out together and hired a personal trainer to help us get on track with our workouts. The first few sessions went OK, and I was enjoying the classes at the gym as well. However, the last couple of sessions left me pretty sore, and both of my elbows really hurt. I let my trainer know, and she eased up on the exercises that forced me to either grip things tightly or bend my arms repeatedly. I also started icing my elbows after working out, taking Ibuprofin, and resting them. We hoped that would help things heal up and I could get on with things again. However, that hasn't really worked. It's been 3-4 weeks now, and even with the vacation and no workouts for the last two weeks, they're still sore. I try to be extra careful with them right now, but sometimes I do something seemingly innocent, like grip the arm of a chair to better position myself or push down on something like a onion when I'm slicing it, and my elbow screams in pain. Anyway, I ended up skipping my workout tonight and will call the doctor in the morning. I hope that she can help me figure out something to get things back on track. It sure sucks getting older.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
We'll be up five hundy by midnight, baby!
I realize it's been a very long time since my last post. Probably no one is even following this now, since I fell off the face of the earth for awhile. But, no matter. I can start back up again finally, since life has returned to a somewhat more normal schedule and state.
The most amazing thing is that it has been nearly a year since L. and I tied the knot. We're heading to Las Vegas tomorrow for an extended weekend to celebrate our year anniversary. We're going to do it up right, staying at the Bellagio and going to see some fun and sexy shows. Both of us have been working so hard lately, that we're beyond excited about the ability to just get away from it all and have some fun.
The most amazing thing is that it has been nearly a year since L. and I tied the knot. We're heading to Las Vegas tomorrow for an extended weekend to celebrate our year anniversary. We're going to do it up right, staying at the Bellagio and going to see some fun and sexy shows. Both of us have been working so hard lately, that we're beyond excited about the ability to just get away from it all and have some fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
