funny is good

brilliant. star-studded cast and witty. Prop 8...the musical. voila!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Special Comment on Gay Marriage ~ Keith Olbermann

It occurs to me that if you don't live in California you may not be following Prop 8 closely. I have never had a strong opinion about Olbermann, but I have to give him props for this six minutes. Watch it.

thinking out loud

It has been an emotional week in Los Angeles. We returned to California on the high from Obama's win, only to find the fallout from the passing of Prop 8. Prop 8 adds fourteen words to the CA constitution, effectively banning same-sex marriage. It was a contested measure, but to be honest, I thought it would fail.

The wording was confusing -- YES if you are against gay marriage, NO is you are for it. Money to fund the proposition came from out-of-state, in particular from churches; churches that have become targets of protest and anger since the elections. Since last Tuesday, people have taken to the streets often to show their distress. Watching the 12,000 strong protest last weekend, I wished I was here to show my support. But driving home on Wednesday and getting stuck in a protest targeting El Coyote (bad food, good margaritas), because the daughter of the owner gave $100 to the yes on 8 campaign, I found myself questioning whether or not a good cause wasn't making itself look bad.

Marriage. I spend a lot of time thinking about this word and what it means. When O and I went to West Hollywood to get gay-married (civil union/domestic partnership -- thank you Gray Davis) in 2005, we knew it was a step, but that it was different than getting married. For years I have been at a loss to come up with an argument for marriage that sways O into thinking it is necessary, and at the same time, I understand that it is important. Even if half of American marriages fail, and kinship in this country is changing, I still think marriage matters. Why else would we go to so many weddings?

I am for activism. I support protest. I think that Prop 8 is a civil rights issue. And it kills me to see the impact this is having on dear friends. But I also support democracy and the rights of individuals to make choices. I still haven't gotten over the 2004 election and my dismay about this country's choices, but in some weird way it prepared me for this kind of democratic disappointment.

The question is: to protest or not to protest? Here is how my internal debate goes: There is no question that I support same sex marriage and think legally recognized marriage should be an option for all. I also think that to be in a democracy we have to respect when it fails us. Having said that, I do worry about the rights of minorities being decided by the majority. I am angry and sad about the outcome of Prop 8. I also get concerned when harm or threats of harm are directed at individuals for expressing a belief or lifestyle ---- whether it be that she is queer or mormon. There are gay mormons (and I know more than one who eats at El Coyote!)

At what point do we trust each other with choice? Whether it is our bodies or our kinship, shouldn't it be up to us? I don't know how to make others less scared or less righteous. Does going to a protest make me any better than the (in)activist I live with? When it comes to voting in my life, the outcomes are what I want about half the time. Maybe that is how it should be...even if it makes me nuts about half the time.

home again, home again

I am pretty overwhelmed this morning.
It is not a bad thing. Not a panic-y overwhelmed, but a full-up-to-the-brim with emotion kind. I think I am just really happy. Happy to have been away. Happy to wake up in my bed and make coffee at home. Happy to know that we have amazing friends. Happy to feel hopeful.



Last week we voted and jumped a plane to nyc, landing in time to see the election called and Brooklyn get rowdy with celebration. It was a good night. Heck, it was a great week. Five years since our last visit to the big city meant lots of catching up to do amidst birthdays, babies, new homes, new "plus one"(s), a wedding.

Every trip I take reminds me how thankful I am to be traveling again. Most of the friends we are seeing haven't seen me since I got laid up for a couple years, so there is a-l-o-t to catch up on. It is also nice to get a change of scene with Orion, to make returns instead of firsts together.








I am staring down a stack of mail (from this trip and the last) and an inbox that begs the question: How long can I put off work for email? My plants are all but dead, and the cupboard is bare. This being the case, I am resorting to the one-word updates...do read on and feel free to share in the shorthand correspondence. xoxoxo



Where is your mobile phone? hiding
Where is your significant other? working
Your hair colour? seasonal
Your mother? amazing
Your father? brilliant
Your favourite thing? color
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your dream goal? peace
The room you're in? sunny
Your hobby? sleep
Your fear? loose-ends
Where do you want to be in 6 years? 39
Where were you last night? flying
What you're not? bored
One of your wish-list items? health
Where you grew up? Portland
The last thing you did? listened
What are you wearing? pjs
Your TV? quiet
Your pets? deceased
Your computer? humming
Your mood? caffinated
Missing someone? always
Your car? parked
Something you're not wearing? accessories
Favourite shop? knitting
Your summer? fantastic
Love someone? yes
Your favourite colour? yellow
When is the last time you laughed? saturday
When is the last time you cried? saturday

vote and prosper

So if you vote, not only do you get a new President, but you can get in on free perks.


Starbucks: One free 12 ounce cup of regular coffee. www.starbucks.com

Ben & Jerry's: One free scoop of ice cream between 5 pm and 8 pm. www.benandjerrys.com

Krispy Kreme: One free star shaped donut with sprinkles. www.krispykreme.com

This blog, WalletPop, has a list that includes regional freebies.

Perhaps the best Election Day deal of all comes from Babeland, who will give out free silver bullet vibes or "Maverick" penis sleeves if you can show a voter registration card or voting stub. Free sex toys—not a bad prize for simply casting your ballot.

Your perk for reading this post is that you get to see the best Halloween costume ever (ok, top ten. There was this great La Dama at Dia de Los Muertos). My friend, Kirsten, has a super crafty mom and she makes an adorable banana, non?


Feel free to let me know if there are more opportunities out there. Now GO VOTE!!

You know it's LA...

... when it rains and everyone in your apartment building comes outside to see it. The hugh, Midwestern clap of thunder may have had something to do with it. My kind of day.

Sake's alive, look who's 35!

Where does the time go? Orion was shocked to be reminded that we started dating when he was 26. I am shocked that I am still "dating" someone who is 35. hee hee. I have a feeling it will be a good year for both of us.

This morning I sent him out the door with 60 cupcakes for his fellow Amoeba-ites. This is how I spent my Sunday....The pumpkin cheesecake is in the fridge. Do you think there is a bit of procrastination afoot?



Orion was committed to the cupcake project. He got up early to make frosting (!!) and decorate them.





It is nice to know that I am still crazy about the guy. Happy Birthday, Orion!

Italian Graffiti

I am still getting pictures from Italy. While away this past week I saw my parents who handed me a dozen disks full of pictures. Don't worry, they are not all going up on the blog! Who knows when I will find/make the time to even look at them all? In the meantime, Orion took lots of shots of "public art" that he came across.
It may be an Italy not everyone has seen.

don't miss this

I love Nikki McClure's woodcuts, and I am a big fan of buyolympia.com, so this is great news as far as I am concerned. Just want to share it with you.

Buy Olympia is offering up 10,000 Nikki McClure posters for FREE! Follow the links to get one (or more). Postage is included in the "free" and if you aren't out registering voters, this is something you can do. Thanks to Lexi for sending me the email!

Pardon Me (I Didn't Knit That for You)

The Mason-Dixon gals have more talents than I realized!! I knew they were crafty.... Their website is at the end of the video if you are not familiar with their more widely known work. I am not super knowledgeable about country music, but I know Merle Haggard (!!?) Carrie, Samantha, it is time to revive the punk Patsy Cline tribute band.

feels like iowa...or beverly hills

Good thing I went to grad school with the majority of readers, otherwise this post might not make sense. Since Jason got settled in La La and I took to spending my days rooted to a chair (they say this helps make progress when writing, fyi), we've resumed an old habit of meeting up to sit without talking for hours at a stretch. All we have to do now is rendezvous at the laundromat and it is like we never left Iowa City. We have been scouting out good study sites where you can loiter half a day on a single cup of coffee, and at the same time working to master the LA bus system. It passes the time and keeps life interesting. My current favorite spot is the BH library. It is Jason's turf, which means a longer bus ride for me, but it is a sweet spot. The cafe even has gelato(!) -- small miracles. Look how happy it makes jas



He just came back with a coffee and chocolate chip cookie. This is real-time, people. The magic of technology. I have to get back to writing, and his PA boards are coming up fast, so send us some love and luck. xoxo

now that's what I am talkin' about

thank you cuteoverload.com

i love amoeba

There are lots of reasons to love Amoeba music.
It is the best record store ever, and I am rather fond of the Iowan under the stairs, but tonight I was reminded what an incredibly special place it is. There are always in-store performances, but every once in a while there is one that blows my mind just thinking about. Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders played a 45 minute set to a full (but not capacity) store. I know it is a big city and there is a lot going on at any given moment, but it was a free show of one of the most amazing women in rock and roll. The Sex Pistol's drummer even came out to see her (!) I love that there is a place like Amoeba. And if there is one thing I love about Los Angeles -- besides free daily yoga in Runyon Canyon -- it is being able to walk to Amoeba Hollywood.

Two weeks already!?

To dispel any doubts that we actually went to Italy, some photos...

This is us. My parents, My brother and his (now) fiance, O and I. Our friend, Kathy, joined us for the first week outside of Florence. She seems to have taken all the group shots...escaping documentation of her presence.
We did a-l-o-t of eating on this trip, and wherever we went there were long tables. I am a big fan of long wooden tables.

If this guy doesn't say "Welcome to Italy!" then what does? I think he was advertising for cell phones, but we're not sure. What I am sure of, is that he appreciated us taking pictures of him.

We would take the train into Florence (a 20 minute ride that made for a nice transition from country to city) and did our best to see and absorb as much as possible. The crowds seemed to indicate something important and worth seeing. Evidently everything in Florence is important and worth seeing!

(above) Outside of the Uffizi, former property of the Medici Family. (below) At Santa Maria del Fiore, in the shadow of the Duomo. The first confirmation that all those art history classes were useful after all.

In truth, as much as I loved the cities, with all of the art and energy, I really loved the Tuscan countryside. Welcome to Poggio Nardini, our home for the first week of the trip, and one of the most splendid spots imaginable. Upon entering the property -- a compound of residences (including the main house and a barn converted into apartments); the olive groves; vineyard -- this is the road that lead to the main house where we stayed.



If you look closely you can see mom relaxing in the shade. It was hot the entire time we were traveling.

I will argue that Orion and I had the best view from our window.
Very Romeo and Juliet, huh?

Below was the area off of the kitchen where we ate long lunches and dinners surrounded by amazing views.

Looking up and out the window, this is what greeted us.

It is a bit hard to describe a medieval country house. The layout centered around the kitchen and outdoor areas. This is the hallway the bedrooms are off of, and at the end a bathroom.

Even the bathroom had a great view.

As if it wasn't perfect enough, there was a pool too. When it came to choosing between walking around Florence and reading by the pool, it was a tough call, but we struggled through.

As I said, the kitchen was key. There is the most fantastic wooden table that never ran out of room. I have often dreamt of getting one of the retired library tables from UI surplus, but alas, I would need a kitchen to put it in.

Those figs were picked off of the tree outside the house. The basil contributed by a neighbor down the hill in Turbone, and the olive oil pressed from the fruit grown on the property.
There is no doubt I could eat in Italy for the rest of my life!

...and then there was the light. Orion loved the light.

There is more to come. It ends up we have a good bit from Venice leading up to my throwing our camera at a mosquito while visiting St. Mark's. If you had met these mosquitoes you would understand. We also took film pictures, but are out of the habit of getting film developed, so it may be another week before those get sorted out. Until the next installment -- ciao!

David Foster Wallace

I should be posting pictures of Italy. It will happen -- especially since I am going to be spending the next month glued to a chair in front of my computer. But so far I am only to 'coffee' and 'catch up on news' on my to-do list. 'Blog about trip' is down there after 'get flat tire fixed', 're-connect with dissertation', and 'pay bills'.

NY Times obituary clarified the news that my mom shared with me yesterday. Yes, it is cheating a bit to blog at all, but the death of DFW proved to be distracting, so that is my excuse. In my mind I was convinced we were closer in age than we actually are. I have been an admirer since early in his career, especially of his earlier works. "Girl with Curious Hair" makes me think of living in Nepal in the mid-nineties. It reminds me of my friend, Jeff, who I was traveling with at the time. DFW reminds me of college in New England, and I've always like the clouds on the cover of "Infinite Jest".

ROMA AMOR

it is not a surprise that in Italian rome and love mirror each other. i am having to avoid questions since the italian keyboard refuses to let me make a question mark. in the library i visited there was a key to get to the third symbols per ey, but not on this one evidently. i do love the small puzzles that traveling introduces.

it is our last day in Rome and I have paused at a computer to check us into our flight and check in on the babies ¡¡ that have arrived since we departed. the trip has been brilliant. our accomodations have exceeded all expectations and have made it hard to choose between hitting the sights and enjoying the environments available to us. at the end of long days on our feet it has just been nice to come home and curl up with a gelato.

At St. Mark in Venice, I may have accidentaly thrown my camera at a mosquito. in any case, it found a final resting place in a beautiful and historic setting. there will be pictures -- of Florence anyway -- and once home I can see what we have on film. Gasp! we reverted to film! this is just a quick hello, wish you were here.

yesterday was a full-day cram-session at the Vatican. it was the only place we had a guide -- his name was Thomas and he is an academic full of ideas on how this place of high religion and the objects within connect to the larger world we inhabit. very cool guy. i have a bit of a museum hangover today, so i am feeling slow to make decisions about what should occupy this, our last day. searching out record stores may be the answer....

Ciao!

We are off for Italy! See you in a couple of weeks....

summertime in the south

I am home.
While it is always nice to come home, I do miss North Carolina already. The visit with Samantha, Ernie, and Sofia was terrific. I was happy to have time with Sofia during her final days as an only child, and it was really wonderful to see Samantha (who last I heard was waiting to have the baby a little while longer). The thing I love about Samantha and Ernie is that even if it has been forever since I've seen them, we seem to pick up without a hitch.



Having not seen Sofia since she was a baby, it was a treat to hang out with a big girl on the verge of being four. In addition to the Raleigh Science Museum, "Critter Class", midwife visits, library storytime, and playground outtings...

We visited to Duke Gardens to feed to ducks, turtles, and koi.



Look at those lilypads!



We went apple picking at a spot with trees where we all could reach.





I have tried to be selective in the photos of Sofia I post, but this is one I couldn't ignore. It may be my favorite from the whole trip. I also love that it was taken in Ernie's library at St. Timothy's.





Now those are the girls I love.
Miss all three of you tons!!
xoxo

Durham is good for knitting.

On the knitting front, NC was quite productive. I made a sweater for baby-on-the-way


with veggie buttons contributed by Samantha. And then to try out a new yarn on an old pattern, I came up with another wee cardigan that is on its way to Julie and Ryan's new baby girl, Ella.




I have mentioned the Mermaid Tail I was making for Sofia, but waited to photograph it until I gave it to her. It is now a princess mermaid tail -- as Ariel is a princess. I like that the chenille and color give an impression of seaweed. You can't really see the pattern, but it is a butterfly stitch that ends up looking like scales. Please note, it is not an easy item to photograph on a mobile gal, and she has plenty of room to grow into it!







If you are a knitter and interested in the details, the yarn is a hand-dyed chenille made in Chile by Araucania, Quellon. It should "felt" some when washed, but the pattern is super stretchy, so that shouldn't be a problem. I needed < two skeins, and it should fit from now until well past kindergarten!