i like my new haircut, i do. but i have to say that this has been a transition.
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okay, that last one makes it worth it.
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alright, and the more-room-for-chocolate-in-my-purse thing, too.
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(oh, honestly. i'm such a whiner. you'd think i've never had short hair before in my life. sheesh, christianna.)
my little sister inge and i made some stuff:
hers took 9 months. mine took about a year and a half ...
... obviously, mine was a *little* more complicated.
(i've debated with myself about whether or not i should post this here, primarily because i don't want to propogate a political debate on my blog, but i feel strongly enough about the issue and want to get some knowledge and thoughts out there. if you'd rather not read this, that's fine. yes, it's about prop 8.)
i read an article today that expressed well a few ideas that i have had rolling around in my head. whereas this article doesn't articulate everything rolling around in my head, the author explains clearly a few key points. here are some excerpts from the article:
"The debate over whether the state ought to recognize gay marriages has thus far focused on the issue as one of civil rights. Such a treatment is erroneous because state recognition of marriage is not a universal right. States regulate marriage in many ways besides denying men the right to marry men, and women the right to marry women. Roughly half of all states prohibit first cousins from marrying, and all prohibit marriage of closer blood relatives, even if the individuals being married are sterile. In all states, it is illegal to attempt to marry more than one person, or even to pass off more than one person as one’s spouse. Some states restrict the marriage of people suffering from syphilis or other venereal diseases. Homosexuals, therefore, are not the only people to be denied the right to marry the person of their choosing.
"I do not claim that all of these other types of couples restricted from marrying are equivalent to homosexual couples. I only bring them up to illustrate that marriage is heavily regulated, and for good reason. When a state recognizes a marriage, it bestows upon the couple certain benefits which are costly to both the state and other individuals. Collecting a deceased spouse’s social security, claiming an extra tax exemption for a spouse, and having the right to be covered under a spouse’s health insurance policy are just a few examples of the costly benefits associated with marriage. In a sense, a married couple receives a subsidy ...
"Some argue that homosexual marriages serve a state interest because they enable gays to live in committed relationships. However, there is nothing stopping homosexuals from living in such relationships today. Advocates of gay marriage claim gay couples need marriage in order to have hospital visitation and inheritance rights, but they can easily obtain these rights by writing a living will and having each partner designate the other as trustee and heir. There is nothing stopping gay couples from signing a joint lease or owning a house jointly, as many single straight people do with roommates. The only benefits of marriage from which homosexual couples are restricted are those that are costly to the state and society ...
"The biggest danger homosexual civil marriage presents is the enshrining into law the notion that sexual love, regardless of its fecundity, is the sole criterion for marriage. If the state must recognize a marriage of two men simply because they love one another, upon what basis can it deny marital recognition to a group of two men and three women, for example, or a sterile brother and sister who claim to love each other? Homosexual activists protest that they only want all couples treated equally. But why is sexual love between two people more worthy of state sanction than love between three, or five? When the purpose of marriage is procreation, the answer is obvious. If sexual love becomes the primary purpose, the restriction of marriage to couples loses its logical basis, leading to marital chaos."
i think we forget in all of this hype that is currently taking over my tv and my city that marriage is not a civil right and was never purported to be. love whomever you choose: there is no legal restriction on that. but align yourself to the notion that the definition of marriage does not encompass all love relationships.
does anything about this sentence bother you?
"Back problems are one of the commonest reasons for time off
work and early retirement due to disability in the USA."
that grammatical gem was included in a health & well-being report from blue cross blue shield of illinois.
makes me wonder which is commoner: back problems or grammar problems.
... okay, i just looked on dictionary.com. when did "commonest" become a real word? and who didn't tell me?
i just got the following email message from my stake:
"Due to protesters, the Los Angeles Temple was closed this evening.
They ask that before coming in tomorrow you call first to see if they will be open."
that's disappointing.
on the news last night, they showed the marches that were happening in santa monica/hollywood until late in the evening.
i read that there have already been lawsuits brought with the primary premise being that this matter was fundamental enough to require not only a constitutional amendment but a constitutional revision and that such action requires a 2/3 passage in the state congress before it can be brought for a popular vote. we'll see what comes of that.
we live in a country where we are free to do so many things, including vote. and yet there are those who would wish to take that vote away when its results oppose their point of view.
those who are requesting tolerance, do not tolerate. those who speak of rights, do not recognize the rights of others.
i have mixed feelings.
part of me has a knee-jerk reaction that they are just being poor losers. at the same time, i don't imagine that they are feeling very differently than others who are refused something that is so important to them. i am disappointed, however, that they do not behave with the respect that they themselves desire.
she wants her nails painted black
she wants the toy in the crackerjack
she wants to ride the bull at the rodeo
she wants to wear my shirt to bed
she wants to make every stray a pet
'n drive around in my truck with no place to go
[chorus:]
but she needs to feel that fire
the one that lets her know for sure
she's everything i want and more
a real desire, and to know i'd walk alone out on the wire
to make her feel that fire
she wants a cabin in the woods
she wants to stand where nobody stood
and someday she wants a couple kids of her own
she wants to make love on a train
and somedays she only wants a break
hey, she wants what she wants, but man i know, i know, i know
[chorus:]
she needs to feel that fire
the one that lets her know for sure
she's everything i want and more
a real desire, and to know i'd walk alone out on the wire
to make her feel that fire
yeah, feel that fire
so as long as there's a breath to take
a smile to share, a prayer to pray
a chance to hold her hand to fan the flame
[chorus:]
she's gonna feel that fire
the one that lets her know for sure
she's everything i want and more
a real desire, and to know i'd walk alone out on the wire
to make her feel that fire
ohh, feel that fire
she wants her nails painted black
she wants the toy in the crackerjack
she wants to ride the bull at the rodeo
