Saturday, November 22, 2008
Just Sayin Hi
I have too many distractions today to write anything meaningful. So, I am just sayin hi. I got my botox this week and will write about it when I can find some quiet.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Too good...we have come so far
To say that I am giddy over our election results on Tuesday is to be unable to find the right word for the level of excitement and pride I feel about this. Policy opinions aside...this was huge. I really feel like my generation finally did something we can say "Yes, I contributed to this really great event!" Obama is elegant, humble, very intelligent and our President elect!!! I feel like if I opt for children and they want to be president, I can say Yes You Can because look at President Obama (oh p.s. if Chris and I had kids they would be mixed racially).
On a sad note Proposition 8 passed in California. I am reposting a comment I sent to my friend who voted for it. It sums up exactly how I feel about this issue and how we should listen to each other. To put this into context - she posted a blog defending her vote and she was clearly feeling attacked by some friends of hers (not by yours truly; I did not know how she voted until she posted her blog):
Well my friend, how about a friendly dialogue then? I think if you only talk about issues with people who agree with you then there is really no point in talking about them. You absolutely have a right to your opinion and I applaud you for exercising your right to vote. In fact I send you a round of applause for being brave and asserting your view on this. It sets a great example for your family when you exercise your civil duty....and plus, we as women stand on the shoulders of many other women who fought for our right to vote. It was not that long ago when women were still considered chattel (fancy word for property for those who may not be familiar with it....a dog is considered chattel today on the law books).
So, let's talk. I know you don't hate gay people, because if you did then you would hate my family and I don't believe you to be a hateful person. I don't believe you hate Mel or my dad since you ask me how they are doing. But, to place this in context for those reading this who may not know me: I grew up with 2 gay dads who were together for 20 years. They raised me and did a pretty fucking good job. They raised me in a family. I was one of the few people who did not have to spend time between two homes due to divorce. I would say proudly that I am a fairly accomplished adult and this is due to my 2 dads. So, now that this is out of the way let me propose some food for thought for you and I invite you to throw it right back at me. I'm not trying to change your mind, but I want you to see where my belief comes from.
Not too long ago there was a case called Loving v. Virginia. It went to the Supreme Court to decide where states could make it illegal for whites to marry non-whites. The Supreme Court said that the states could not interfere with with a civil right to marry; specifically it cited the 14th Amendment. Additionally it is interesting to note that the church was backing the laws that remained in the state Virgina stating this was a moral issue that a white man should not be able to marry a black woman; they wanted to continue the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 (The Mormon Church funded Prop 8 - 20 million dollars worth which mostly came from out of state). Which was exactly what this case was about. This couple got married in another state, returned to their home in Virginia and their home was raided by police because they were sleeping in the same bed which was a crime. They went to jail. Had they not fought this, their children would have been considered bastards and socially undesirable under the social mores of the time. Additionally, I would not have the option to marry Chris if this had stayed on the books.
I believe that the right to marry is a civil rights issue and not one of morality. No one is trying to force the Church's' hand in marriage or even try to change the view of ones moral compass, we are only trying to state this: gay people are not second class citizens and to deny them the right to marry so that they have all of the legal rights under marriage is to say they do not matter. It sends a message that they are 2nd class citizens because they have less rights than others. Specifically it sends a message that a family who finds moral issues with their gay son or daughter can not only kick their partner out of a hospital room (and they do this) but they can also take over all of the property rights bequeathed to this partner. It also states that gay people cannot have a family under the protections of the law: rights for visitation, child support, etc. I could go on but for the sake of brevity I will leave it there.
On a personal note: why is my family less important than those of a straight couple? Why was it right that Mel feared having me taken away from him because our family was not legitimate under the eyes of the law? And further, why is it fair that I am not Mel's daughter under the eyes of the law to this day? Yes, there is a domestic partner law but it does not cover these basic areas that I have only touched on.
In short my friend, I have no problem agreeing to disagree with you on this issue and I do not think less of you for your opinions. But, we should all be able to speak civilly about our differences. It is an opportunity to grow from them. Anyone who is scolding you for your choices is not looking at this from the big picture that we all can grow from this experience. We just elected our first Black President...if that is not growth, I don't know what is.
On a sad note Proposition 8 passed in California. I am reposting a comment I sent to my friend who voted for it. It sums up exactly how I feel about this issue and how we should listen to each other. To put this into context - she posted a blog defending her vote and she was clearly feeling attacked by some friends of hers (not by yours truly; I did not know how she voted until she posted her blog):
Well my friend, how about a friendly dialogue then? I think if you only talk about issues with people who agree with you then there is really no point in talking about them. You absolutely have a right to your opinion and I applaud you for exercising your right to vote. In fact I send you a round of applause for being brave and asserting your view on this. It sets a great example for your family when you exercise your civil duty....and plus, we as women stand on the shoulders of many other women who fought for our right to vote. It was not that long ago when women were still considered chattel (fancy word for property for those who may not be familiar with it....a dog is considered chattel today on the law books).
So, let's talk. I know you don't hate gay people, because if you did then you would hate my family and I don't believe you to be a hateful person. I don't believe you hate Mel or my dad since you ask me how they are doing. But, to place this in context for those reading this who may not know me: I grew up with 2 gay dads who were together for 20 years. They raised me and did a pretty fucking good job. They raised me in a family. I was one of the few people who did not have to spend time between two homes due to divorce. I would say proudly that I am a fairly accomplished adult and this is due to my 2 dads. So, now that this is out of the way let me propose some food for thought for you and I invite you to throw it right back at me. I'm not trying to change your mind, but I want you to see where my belief comes from.
Not too long ago there was a case called Loving v. Virginia. It went to the Supreme Court to decide where states could make it illegal for whites to marry non-whites. The Supreme Court said that the states could not interfere with with a civil right to marry; specifically it cited the 14th Amendment. Additionally it is interesting to note that the church was backing the laws that remained in the state Virgina stating this was a moral issue that a white man should not be able to marry a black woman; they wanted to continue the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 (The Mormon Church funded Prop 8 - 20 million dollars worth which mostly came from out of state). Which was exactly what this case was about. This couple got married in another state, returned to their home in Virginia and their home was raided by police because they were sleeping in the same bed which was a crime. They went to jail. Had they not fought this, their children would have been considered bastards and socially undesirable under the social mores of the time. Additionally, I would not have the option to marry Chris if this had stayed on the books.
I believe that the right to marry is a civil rights issue and not one of morality. No one is trying to force the Church's' hand in marriage or even try to change the view of ones moral compass, we are only trying to state this: gay people are not second class citizens and to deny them the right to marry so that they have all of the legal rights under marriage is to say they do not matter. It sends a message that they are 2nd class citizens because they have less rights than others. Specifically it sends a message that a family who finds moral issues with their gay son or daughter can not only kick their partner out of a hospital room (and they do this) but they can also take over all of the property rights bequeathed to this partner. It also states that gay people cannot have a family under the protections of the law: rights for visitation, child support, etc. I could go on but for the sake of brevity I will leave it there.
On a personal note: why is my family less important than those of a straight couple? Why was it right that Mel feared having me taken away from him because our family was not legitimate under the eyes of the law? And further, why is it fair that I am not Mel's daughter under the eyes of the law to this day? Yes, there is a domestic partner law but it does not cover these basic areas that I have only touched on.
In short my friend, I have no problem agreeing to disagree with you on this issue and I do not think less of you for your opinions. But, we should all be able to speak civilly about our differences. It is an opportunity to grow from them. Anyone who is scolding you for your choices is not looking at this from the big picture that we all can grow from this experience. We just elected our first Black President...if that is not growth, I don't know what is.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Surprised
I stand corrected. Oklahoma City is pretty kewl. So, I arrived the first day and I was less than impressed. We went from the airport to the hotel and the drive was ....well, it was typical of what you find driving from any airport: Blech! We checked into a GORGEOUS hotel and were off and running. We drove to this one town everyone had researched and thought it was going to be AMAZING. It wasn't. Actually it was kinda lame. The houses were pretty. They were new. But, the town was small (all of 2 blocks) and it was pretty under developed. Not many trees and a lot of construction. We got a call that the new OKC NBA team, the Thunder, was holding a practice and we were invited. I jumped at the opportunity. The Ford Center was not what it was hyped up to be. It was as nice but no better than any other that I had seen. Anywho, the practice was kew. People were really excited and it was contagious. The first remained so-so.
The second day we met with the Chamber of Commerce for a breakfast which was a great welcoming. My hopes were perculating. We then separated into groups and I went off to meet the Cimmaron Alliance. WOW! What a fantastic meeting with a great group of people. They were welcoming, open, honest, proud of their city and practical on how they were going to make it even better. The diversity in the city is thriving and what is even more impressive is that the minority communities work together and support each other. Imagine that?!
On the last day we attended a Diversity Business Association meeting where we met Al McAfferty who is a state representative and the mother of Jim Roth who is running for energy commissioner. Muy Kewl! We mingled with a lot of business owners (white, gay, straight, hispanic...you name it, they were present!) who get together to network 2x per month. There were people from small and big business; local and national business. It was actually pretty inspiring.
Without completing a play by play, the trip was a success and I will consider relocating to OKC. It all depends on the offer now from the company. Regardless, it is a win/win situation.
Oh, and the best part was that I had not one migraine.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
OKC in the place to be
Well, I am off to Oklahoma on Monday morning to explore the city and all that it has to offer. While I am not terribly happy about being away from home from 4 days (what can I say....I love my boyfriend and I love being around him...it makes my days happy and I am happy to be sappy), I am excited that this will at least make a decision for me. To move or not to move that will be the answer. I have never been to middle American and so I really don't know what to expect. Civility? Flatlands? Stereotypes? I really don't know. I am a California transplant who has traveled more outside of the country than in and I have only lived away from the coast once (I did not like it).
I am asking my headaches/migraines to take a break. I really do not want to be exploring this city feeling like poop. Especially since I just got over the flu and Ihave been feeling like poop for the last week. The sad thing is that I feel a little headache coming on. My neck is locking up and it feels like I may need to take some preventative medicine. I'll wait until tonight though....
There will be an update to follow :)
I am asking my headaches/migraines to take a break. I really do not want to be exploring this city feeling like poop. Especially since I just got over the flu and Ihave been feeling like poop for the last week. The sad thing is that I feel a little headache coming on. My neck is locking up and it feels like I may need to take some preventative medicine. I'll wait until tonight though....
There will be an update to follow :)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, Monday .....it so lovely when you get to sleep in!
So, I am off from work today and tomorrow because Chris' mom is coming to stay with us tonight...and well, it was a great excuse to take a couple of days off. I am feeling quite relaxed. We had the house cleaners come on Friday and now I am just completing some touch ups: flowers in the bedroom, chocolate on the pillow, some magazines by the bed and of course a yummy smelling candle. She is only staying for one night but I like people to feel comfortable and welcome in our home.
I am feeling a lot better than I was in my last post. Work is still work and thus it is a constant stream of change. I had a slight melt down on Tuesday when some additional changes were made right after we settled into our move and I settled into my fish bowl that people call a place to sit. The melt down turned into a good thing. I clearly needed to shed some salty rivers because when I came home I slept for about 10 hours. I have felt a lot lighter since. I could have done without the puffy eyes and streaks of mascara shooting down the sides of my nose, but hey we can't all be beauty queens 100% of the time....although I don't know if I wear enough kabuki face paint to be considered one any of the time. It was a good release and it has enabled me to see opportunity again versus opposition.
So, on Saturday I went for a 2 hour bike ride. Something I am not supposed to do because of my neck and shoulder, but man it felt it good. I decided I would see if I could ride to work and how long it would take. Apparently riding at high noon with no hat in the sunshine is not really good for people like me who are prone to heat strokes. But, it felt really good! It took me 2 hours when it could have taken 1 hour but I felt better because I am so unhappy with my muffin top. I may even ride to work one day this week....we shall see.
Well, back to my touch ups! Hope everyone is having a Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy Day ;)
I am feeling a lot better than I was in my last post. Work is still work and thus it is a constant stream of change. I had a slight melt down on Tuesday when some additional changes were made right after we settled into our move and I settled into my fish bowl that people call a place to sit. The melt down turned into a good thing. I clearly needed to shed some salty rivers because when I came home I slept for about 10 hours. I have felt a lot lighter since. I could have done without the puffy eyes and streaks of mascara shooting down the sides of my nose, but hey we can't all be beauty queens 100% of the time....although I don't know if I wear enough kabuki face paint to be considered one any of the time. It was a good release and it has enabled me to see opportunity again versus opposition.
So, on Saturday I went for a 2 hour bike ride. Something I am not supposed to do because of my neck and shoulder, but man it felt it good. I decided I would see if I could ride to work and how long it would take. Apparently riding at high noon with no hat in the sunshine is not really good for people like me who are prone to heat strokes. But, it felt really good! It took me 2 hours when it could have taken 1 hour but I felt better because I am so unhappy with my muffin top. I may even ride to work one day this week....we shall see.
Well, back to my touch ups! Hope everyone is having a Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy Day ;)
Friday, September 19, 2008
No siento bien!
Man, this week...well, it sucked. I got a migraine on Monday night that lasted through this morning (it is now Friday) and I also have the flu. Not kewl! Not kewl! In fact, life seems oddly cruel right now. Excuse me whilst I lapse into a pity party for one:
Our office moving to another suite because we laid off 170 people and I am being placed into a cubicle that is about 1/4 of the size that I was in before. What the heck? No more windows so I can stare at the traffic on the freeway. No more seats for my staff to come into my office and vent about the customer they are having to manage. And, no place to put my personnel files. I am about as happy as dog with a flea on his butt. They are moving us to an area where they do not have enough supervisor cubes. My question is this: why not put me in an office then? There are plenty of those! UGH! Or put someone with more seniority in an office and put me in a supervisor cube. The politics of corporate America are just infuriating sometimes. Not to mention when my boss asked me if I was ok with my seating assignment and I said no, he walked away. Big WHATEVA! It's times like these when I would like to pull out my wand and give him a little Legilimency (for you non-Harry Potter fans this means magical skill of extracting feelings and memories from another person's mind) to see why he would ask me that question in the first place. It's much better than using the Darth Vader techniques for punishing admirals.
Ok, but I am more spiritually advanced than this petty squabbling that I am expressing...right? Well, not always. While I try to have a positive attitude and an Oprah "look for the meaning in all experiences" sometimes I have to pull out my kleenex (even when I do not have the flu) and just say WAAAAAAHHHHHH! I had a looooooong migraine this week with a sprinkle of the flu. I do not feel good.
p.s. speaking of Sprinkle...have you ever had a Sprinkles cupcake??? OH MY!!! It's good. best cupcake I have ever had! I highly recommend all of them.
Our office moving to another suite because we laid off 170 people and I am being placed into a cubicle that is about 1/4 of the size that I was in before. What the heck? No more windows so I can stare at the traffic on the freeway. No more seats for my staff to come into my office and vent about the customer they are having to manage. And, no place to put my personnel files. I am about as happy as dog with a flea on his butt. They are moving us to an area where they do not have enough supervisor cubes. My question is this: why not put me in an office then? There are plenty of those! UGH! Or put someone with more seniority in an office and put me in a supervisor cube. The politics of corporate America are just infuriating sometimes. Not to mention when my boss asked me if I was ok with my seating assignment and I said no, he walked away. Big WHATEVA! It's times like these when I would like to pull out my wand and give him a little Legilimency (for you non-Harry Potter fans this means magical skill of extracting feelings and memories from another person's mind) to see why he would ask me that question in the first place. It's much better than using the Darth Vader techniques for punishing admirals.
Ok, but I am more spiritually advanced than this petty squabbling that I am expressing...right? Well, not always. While I try to have a positive attitude and an Oprah "look for the meaning in all experiences" sometimes I have to pull out my kleenex (even when I do not have the flu) and just say WAAAAAAHHHHHH! I had a looooooong migraine this week with a sprinkle of the flu. I do not feel good.
p.s. speaking of Sprinkle...have you ever had a Sprinkles cupcake??? OH MY!!! It's good. best cupcake I have ever had! I highly recommend all of them.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
WEGO Health Interview
Yup! I have been interviewed. Check it out:
http://community.wegohealth.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2028394%3ABlogPost%3A26447
Let me know what you think :)
http://community.wegohealth.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2028394%3ABlogPost%3A26447
Let me know what you think :)
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