A quick update.

A few people have asked about my job search, so here's where it's at:

• I have not heard anything from the Big Caffeine Company that I had a phone interview with two weeks ago. I'm taking that as a "thanks but no thanks".
• My big in-person interview on Monday went well ... I think. It seemed like a great fit for my experience and definitely culture-wise, but I can never tell anymore if an interview went well or not. I'm supposed to hear from them this week if I'll be called back for a second interview.
• I had a phone interview yesterday for a position that I didn't feel qualified for, with a company that I'm not sure I want to work with. I felt better after the interview, though, and thought it might be a possibile fit. I heard today - no thanks. The recruiter who interviewed me was very impressed with me and wants to keep me on file, but that really didn't make me feel too much better.
• There are four other positions I'm waiting to hear on, but I'm not expecting anything from them.

Apparently, there's not much to report. So why did I write this post? Hmmm. Good question.

I'm trying to keep my hopes up about the job I interviewed for on Monday. I REALLY want that job. But if they say "no" - well, I'm gonna start applying for hourly jobs at Safeway or something. My ego is taking a BIG beating lately.

Let me count the ways ...

Via Americablog:

On how many levels is this story just horribly, horribly wrong???

Discuss.

(As per Matterdays' Terms of Service, I also invite dissenting opinions as long as they are presented in a logical manner ... )

Oh dear Lord ... ANOTHER video from Mr. D.D.?

It just doesn't end ... this one has a musical lead-in, but you can't miss ol' Donnie when he makes his entrance ...

















THIS, my friends, is true parody. And I love Uma Thurman's costume.

(Scott and I saw this musical in Seattle a few years ago ... when this got to the "mirror" part of the song, I thought we were both going to wet our pants, even though we've seen the 1968 movie many times ... )

"Domesticated"

I've wondered before what sort of term is appropriate for legalized same-sex partnerships (assuming that "marriage" will not be one of them for a LONG time). Calling Scott my "partner" is currently in vogue, but it just doesn't have the same connotation as "husband". It sounds so business-like; it doesn't express what our relationship really is. I'm at a loss for any other word, though.

I don't remember how I came across this blog, but I started reading it because he lives in Seattle AND went to the same college in Illinois as I did (and it's not a big college). I thought this was a very cool and sweet posting on many levels - cute, sentimental, political all at once.


Addendum: I've been poking around my alma mater's website, and came across the college-owned house that I lived in my senior year. It's here (you'll have to scroll down ... a little more ... in the left-hand column) ... now called "Senior House #7" at 726 34th Street. My room was "Bedroom 1" on the second floor. If you click on the house name it gives a picture that SO does not do the house justice. It looked like a smaller version of the Amityville Horror house. Squirrels would run between the floors and between the walls. Good times ...

Goin' on an interview ...

I wasn't going to post about this - yet, at least - for fear of jinxing myself. I'm not a superstitious person by any means, but I've felt so depressed and humbled lately that I don't want to take any chances.

I thought I'd be able to find a job fairly quickly, but that hasn't been the case. I've been working with four different recruiting firms, applying for jobs on my own, and nothing seems to be a good fit. Mostly, a lot of companies are looking for someone with an accounting degree and a CPA (or CPA in progress), of which I have neither. Fortunately, many firms are willing to look past that when they see my resume, due both to my experience and the fact that they can't afford to be so picky these days - accounting and finance is a huge field, and there are more jobs than candidates. That's a bit depressing, then, that no one has snatched me up.

But a lot of firms have very firm and narrow ideas of who they want to hire. I did get as far as a phone interview for a huge Seattle-based company (you may have heard of their caffeinated beverages), but that was a week and a half ago and I haven't heard back from them. I don't have enough international finance experience. I don't have enough retail accounting experience. I don't have enough management experience. I don't have enough experience preparing corporate financial statements. My last long-term job included management that so micro-managed, they were hesitant (to say the least) to let go of any responsibilities and trust the next-highest level (me) to take on those kind of duties. So, I've interviewed with all of these recruiters who have high hopes after talking to me, but I haven't heard a whole lot from the firms that are hiring.

One firm contacted me personally after viewing my resume online and asked me to get in touch with them. I had a phone interview with their staff recruiter, then one with their senior recruiter, and I've moved on to having a huge in-person interview first thing tomorrow morning. It will be about two hours - one meeting with their account manager, and two with their GL (General Ledger) accountants. There are a lot of things about this company I'm excited about - incredible fit with the experience I have, growth potential, benefits, expanding and well-respected technology firm, fantastic waterfront location that's not a long commute, wonderful perks, wonderful reputation for diversity and employee culture, good salary. So, I'm trying to prepare as best I can while knowing that there's not much more that I can do than just go and be myself. I wish Scott had today off so I didn't have the house to myself to sit and worry about it. I'm afraid of psyching myself out instead of bringing my confidence level up to where it needs to be by 9 a.m. tomorrow.

This will be nine positions that I'm potentially in the running for. I'm going to try to just relax and boost myself up the rest of today, read up some more on the company I'm interviewing with tomorrow, and tell myself that I'm the person that they're looking for.

Wish me luck, kids.

Warm Fuzzy Friday

Because I promised, and I've been so heavy-handed lately, here is Warm Fuzzy Friday (thanks Spider for the title!)

Okay, I may just get a little sick here ... I'm not this warm n' fuzzy in real life.

No, I'm not.

Score one for the Speaker ...

I know, I promised in my comments on the last post that I would stay away from religion and politics, but please please please just one more, because it is SO good ...

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and an exchange with President Bush regarding his unfailing confidence in his "new" plan for Iraq and his cast of 21,500 soldiers, from Americablog:


"PELOSI: He's tried this two times — it's failed twice. I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?'

BUSH: Because I told them it had to.

PELOSI: Why didn't you tell them that the other two times?"


Absolute gold. I haven't found anywhere yet what (if any) response The Decider gave, but this comes from quite a reputable source. I know there are a wide variety of opinions on Pelosi, but I love her.


And tomorrow, I'll go back to posting about puppies and rainbows and unicorns and non-controversial things.


Maybe.

Epiphanies - Part II

My friend Paul posted this comment today regarding the Donnie Darko - er, Davies - video:


"OK, so I found Donnie’s repulsive music video. "The Bible Says" video is now on Donnie's band's site.

http://www.eveningservice.com

Here’s an alternative view of what the Bible says:

http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible

Last summer, I closely followed Soul Force's Equality Ride. The stories from the participants brought tears to my eyes and opened up my checkbook.

http://www.equalityride.com/"


I spent a good deal of time today looking at Soulforce's website. It is a powerful, logical, loving commentary from a gay and Christian viewpoint, about how the interpretation of the Bible can change without the true message of God being slighted. While I am not a religious person, I do still believe in some form of God or another, and have always been frustrated with the fact that while the Bible has a lot of historical truth and moral guidance, the parts most often quoted by the radical, extremist right have never jived with my own experience and beliefs. This group has made such sane, solid representation of the idea that modern-day interpretation of the Bible - not the Bible itself - is where we run into trouble with any "gay vs. Christian" roadblocks.

This could very well be an epiphany for me.

Whatever your beliefs, non-beliefs, etc. - it's definitely worth a visit. I've added their website to my "Links" list.

Paul - thank you.

That horse doesn't look dead to me, mister ...

Okay, Mr. Donnie Davies is making my head hurt ...

Another video from him:





So, maybe this is a joke?

I swear I almost started laughing when I started watching this video. The purple wall ... the slow dramatic turn from the keyboard ... the overly dramatic voice ... complaining about being ridiculed for being "born this way" (thyroid conditions running in his family, lost over 120 pounds, thanking the homosexual community for where he is today - huh?).

Apparently, Andrew Sullivan protested the fact that YouTube removed Donnie's video, and Donnie is thanking him. You know Andrew Sullivan ... British-born, very conservative, devout Catholic, former editor of The New Republic, political writer and blogger on Time's website, VERY OPENLY GAY ...

And Cyndi Lauper listed on DD's website as a "safe" (read: anti-gay) musician??? (Remember her performing at the close of the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago?)

HOWEVER.

Even if this does all turn out to be parody, some elaborately set-up ruse to show how ridiculous these words are, an evolving and ever-grander turn toward sarcasm ... it has done damage. It has angered - even infuriated - a lot of members of the gay community and its' supporters. It has actually garnered praise from ultra-literalist right-wing radical religious zealots, from reading some of the comments (thankfully a minority) on YouTube, Google video (it's still there) and his MySpace page. It has re-introduced a hateful slogan that did not need re-introduction, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the "God Hates Fags" clan from Westboro Baptist Church. It has also made a mockery of Christianity and the normal, more moderate religious side of society. So my disgust at whatever this is continues.

Okay, I'm done. If I do ever get any response from Mr. Davies, I will still post that here. But that's it. I'll do whatever I feel I need to do in the background and not "publicly" to the five people who read this blog. But I will end saying that this whole thing is just wrong.

Update: "The Bible Says" video

Scott found that Mr. Davies' video has been removed from YouTube for violating their terms of use.

Some people disagreed with my fight to get the video removed, saying that its' unabashedly hateful message would help the "pro-gay" stance simply by its' sheer stupidity. However ... it not only attacks "fags", but in its' back-asswards way ridicules Christianity as well by preaching hate. Nothing good could come from leaving the video up on YouTube. And, it quickly caused an uproar, with something like 12 pages of comments posted on the YouTube link in the past day and countless blog postings about it. Just because the video is down does not mean that the fight against this type of ignorant hate-spewing is over.

My letter to Mr. Davies

Dear Mr. Davies,

I have recently been shown your music video of “The Bible Says”. I am writing to express my utter disgust with this song and your message.

While I and most of credible science finds absolutely no factual basis in the ex-gay message, that is not the issue here.

You are portraying yourself as a Christian musician. In my faith and education, “Christian” values include love, honor, forgiveness and salvation.

To have a “Christian” song preaching, quite literally and emphatically, that God “hates” (your word) anyone at all is repugnant. No matter what your interpretation of any of the Bible’s teachings, this is not one of them that is accepted by the many Christian sects that I am familiar with.

Singing the statement that “God hates fags” is not only against the teachings of the Christian tradition, but is hate speech and an intolerant use of a word which is used only to promote ignorance, hate and evil. Shame on you for using this vulgarity in the same context in which you praise the Lord. You have put yourself on the same level as the Rev. Fred Phelps and his odious Westboro Baptist Church. If this was your intent, you have succeeded – not admirably, however, but in an exceedingly amateurish way.

You have also claimed, through your website and your MySpace profile, the “support” or “friendship” of other musical groups and Christian talent agencies with whom you obviously have had no conversations and who do not share your views. I and others have contacted some of these groups personally and have asked them to take a closer look at your message and your choice of verbiage. I have also posted your video and contact information on my personal weblog and am actively encouraging (and will continue to encourage) my readers to observe the message that you are spreading. I was introduced to your video on a high-profile website promoting tolerance and acceptance, and I intend to forward this to as many such sites as are available.

You have an opportunity to deliver a message of love, or a message of hate and fear. I am very disappointed that you have taken the low road. This e-mail and any future communication will be publicly posted on my weblog. I welcome the chance to hear a thoughtful and Christian response from you.

Sincerely,
Matt xxxxxx
Seattle, WA

My awesome cousin Jo ...

So, my incredibly awesome cousin Jo read my last post and watched that hateful video. Jo has a very strong Christian faith, and has amazed me with her acceptance and love of her Big Gay Cousin.

Jo knows some people (who know some people) who work in the Christian music and talent industry. She copied me on an e-mail that she sent to an agent who is listed as a MySpace "friend" by the oh-so-talented Donnie Davies, the eloquent singer in the video I posted. With her permission, I am sharing her e-mail with y'all:



Dear xxxx,

I am very sorry to take advantage of the fact that xxxxxxx knows you, but I want to make you aware of something that disturbed me. While MySpace is a great way to get out news of your agency and your talent, it can also associate you with "friends" who may soil the reputation of your name and company.

I have a cousin who is gay. On his blog today (http://matterdays.blogspot.com/), he posted a video that quite frankly shocked me when the words to the chorus came up. If you go to his blog, the video is a "You Tube" video with a guy named Donnie Davies representing "Love God's Way" Ministries singing about homosexuals. The offending part of the song is when he sings "God hates fags, and if you're a fag he hates you, too."

Now, I went to Donnie's web site http://www.lovegodsway.org/ and I went to Donnie's personal web page http://www.donniedavies.com/Mission and if you look through there, I think maybe even a good Christian man such as yourself would be offended. This is one of his quotes:

"Oscar Wilde, my hero, was a reformed homosexual. He went to prison for his sins. Once he was alone with his thoughts, in jail, he saw the errors of his ways and repented. He died as a Christian. While I'm not advocating jailing all Homosexuals, I do think it would benefit them greatly. It would be for their own good. When a person is forced to think they will generally be able to see their problems and solve them by themselves. "

What brings you and your agency into play is that Donnie also has a MySpace account http://www.myspace.com/donniedavies and to say the least I was shocked to see him list XXX on his "friends" list. At first I was horrified, thinking that you might be this guy's agent. I checked out your agency list of talent, and thank goodness you don't support a guy like this.

I think it would be in your best interest to fully check out who you want to approve on your agency's MySpace "friends" list. I am asking you, Greg, as a personal favor on behalf of my cousin, please do not let this guy claim any kind of connection to your agency.

Sincerely,

Jo xxxxx




I asked Jo if I could post her e-mail here not only because I am extremely proud of her, but because it is such a huge example of how we all can make a difference (or at least TRY to) when we see something wrong in the world. I had no idea that she had such connections, or that she would take it upon herself to speak out - but as I told her, I cannot even begin to describe what a huge thing she has done and how thankful I am for her doing this.

Is this some kind of sick joke?!?!?

I came across this on Good As You. I'm absolutely dumbstruck by it. Whether this is a joke (I hope?) or real (devastatingly horrible), this just disgusts me.

This guy is either the epitome of why conservative religion is shunned and despised by so many open-hearted people, or the epitome of a narrow-minded frat-boy jokester mentality gone way over the deep end. To call this "Christian music" boggles the mind. A true definitive Christian would never preach hate.

Either way, I am stunned. I hesitated to even post this video here because it is so shockingly appalling. But as I have said to Scott many times, the only way to know what we as a society are up against in trying to evolve is to be aware of the wingnuts that exist in it.



I am speechless. Honestly.

I so want to somehow do something about this, but I'm at a loss. Thoughts?

Addendum: Thank you to Scott for pointing out to me (dur!) that you can flag an individual video on YouTube as "Inappropriate" and select the reason for doing so as "Hate Speech". If you agree, please, PLEASE go to the video and flag this as well. I have also sent an e-mail to YouTube citing this as being against their Terms of Use (Section 5c) and have asked for their expedited response. Thanks.

Another addendum: This lovely man's e-mail is donniedavies@gmail.com. Spam away. :)

Another video that makes me laugh

Almost a year ago, I took Scott to San Francisco for a quick weekend getaway. We stayed at "our" SF hotel, the Mark Hopkins. Scott tried to take a quick video of the entire suite (it was incredible - the bathroom was as big as most hotel rooms), but the old camera could only take 15 second videos, which makes this even funnier. He couldn't get through the entire suite that quickly. We'll probably never stay in such a luxurious room again ... but damn, it was nice.

Where the Hell is Matt?

I haven't really felt like posting recently. This job hunt is more stressful (and humbling) than I want it to be. Isn't that always the case.

This, though, made me smile. I've seen him before, and thanks to AmericaBlog it came my way again this morning, just when I needed it. How can this not make you feel better?

What is this, Chicago?!?

(Another post in the series "Weather I Have Known")


There's no global warming, right?

Manhattan-sized chinks of ice breaking off the polar ice cap ... unbelievably (and rare) blizzards and ice storms throughout the Plains and New England ... temperatures in the low 70's on the eastern seaboard ... there's been some kinda climate change going on, that's for sure.

Seattle hasn't been above freezing for 5 days. There's been snow on the ground since last Wednesday. We got ANOTHER inch of snow last night. It's finally starting to melt some, but it will freeze again tonight (there's another wonderful commute for everyone!!!!). Here's an amazing video taken by some people in Portland, Oregon this morning (I hope the link works). Everything was just solid ice. Lewis, I hope you weren't a part of this!

So here's the view from the front of our house this morning ...

And from the back (those big green fluffy plants by the duplexes are bamboo!) ...

... and the view out front about noon, when it was snowing AGAIN ...

Nope, nothing weird going on here. Just because when it does snow in Seattle it usually disappears within a day or two at the most, that doesn't make this odd. Nope, not at all.

For Dad

I was fiddling around on YouTube tonight, and came across some videos of Victor Borge, whom I love!

Victor Borge was a Danish pianist, who was an amazing concert pianist for decades before turning to comedy. His comedic routines (almost) always revolved around classical music; a lot of the jokes are "inside jokes" for the musician set, but hysterical nonetheless.

My Dad introduced me to his comedy years ago. Dad had many professional musicians in his family, including an uncle who was a cellist with the Chicago Symphony for decades. Dad played the piano indescribably beautifully, although he kind of gave it up after becoming an engineer (hmm, sounds like me). One year I bought a videotape of one of his "concerts" and gave it to my Dad for Christmas. I think he loved that tape more than anything I'd ever given him. We watched it together almost every time I was back in Chicago, especially after he got sick.

Anytime that I even think of Victor Borge, I think of my Dad laughing. They've both passed away now, but I absolutely love this piece. Even if you're not a classical music lover, I think you'll find it funny. And I always get a little teary-eyed even while I'm laughing. (And the singer is phenomenal).

Oh so very, very wrong ...

... but I pretty much snorted when I saw this on Long Story Longer:

My January 12 of 12

I heard about 12 of 12 from This New Condo. Sounds fun, so I haphazzardly tried it ... Scott and I had a long four-day weekend together at home, so there wasn't much excitement to report. I got a late start and had to fudge a little, and had an extremely annoying time uploading my pics on Blogger, but I gave it the old college try. I'll do better next month ...

#1

10:47 a.m. Making bread with the bread machine.

#2

11:10 a.m. Kitty lounging on the guest room bed.

#3

11:26 a.m. Another load of laundry.

#4

12:17 p.m. Scott playing with Kali.

#5

12:43 p.m. Bird cage cleaned (one of them ... ).

#6

2:59 p.m. Shower time.

#7

3:33 p.m. Doggies in the yard.

#8

4:06 p.m. After a walk (and chasing down Kali).

#9

Trying to take a picture for next year's Christmas card ... the best we could do.

#10

6:52 p.m. Rosemary from the garden for dinner.

#11

7:19 p.m. Doggie dinner time.

#12

7:22 p.m. The back yard pond at night.

Scott ... by popular demand.

As I mentioned earlier, I've had a few requests to see more of Scott. I'm hesitant, since like I said he seems to be more popular than me, but since his public awaits ... here are some pics.

And yes, he's always like this.

Joking around at the Grand Tetons in Wyoming:

Scott during Flamingo Week (okay, he just made that up) in Sun Valley, Idaho:

Scott and his lady friend in Chinatown, San Francisco:

Scott and some gay newspaper friend at the Seattle Gay Pride parade:

Scott and some feline friend in Jackson, Wyoming (yeah, he has a LOT of friends):

Scott thinking about bears at Yellowstone National Park (one of my favorite pictures of him):

Self-portrait of us at the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City, Oregon:

Us INSIDE the Oregon Trail Museum, with some new friends we picked up:

And a blurry but cute picture of us camping at Silver Falls (in the Cascade Mountains, east of Seattle) this past summer:

I think these pictures give you an intro to Scott better than my words could - so, there ya go.

Happy? Can it be all about me now? :)

Snow Day

We did actually get some snow - this time about 3 1/2 inches.

Yes, the schools are closed and a lot of people are staying home from work due to the ice (it won't get above freezing for the next couple of days). Luckily, Scott had already taken the next few days off, so it really is a snow day for us. Hooray!

The backyard from the balcony ...

A big holly tree next door ...

The street (with Joe Jetta looking frosty) ...

The pond in back - the fish can pretty much freeze and still survive ...

Kali LOVES it - she's been tearing around the yard, chasing snowballs (she doesn't understand where they go), and practically turning cartwheels. Good - she can burn off the excess energy she's had pent up lately in more constructive ways than chewing on the woodwork and eating the wicker trashcan in the bathroom ...

The Plot Thickens ...

Apparently, we have technically invaded Iran.

I KNEW this would get more interesting ...

I don't pretend to be a news or political machine, so I won't post every little thing that comes along. There are some great sites for dissecting the news as it's happening (see most of the Links to the right), with AMERICAblog being one of the best and most up to date. This, of course, in my progressive-liberal bent.

I do look at more moderate and conservative sites, too, just to be fair and balanced while forming my opinions. If you want an idea of a range of news sites and their ideological slants, look here.

A short leash

Maybe the new Democratic majority has more ideas than everyone thought. The House democrats are talking about funding Dubya's New Way Forward, but with a catch: attaching benchmarks to the funding, with the caveat that if he doesn't meet those criteria the funding gets cut off. (Of course we're only talking about the additional funding for his new surge - they won't cut off funding for the troops currently there).

Interesting. This is gonna be fun to watch!!

More of the same.

I just deleted the post I had already published. Trying not to be as long-winded and preachy as I tend to be in serious posts, I failed and ended up publishing something that really didn't say much other than bitching about Dubya's speech tonight.

Since it so concisely reflects my own opinions, you can read this Democratic response on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's site as Speaker of the House.

P.S. Yes, I was wrong about a mention of the Somalia raids being a part of his speech ...

Fluff

*whew*

So since my last two posts were politically charged, heavy-handed, long-winded ramblings - some fluffy personal notes:

• Another big storm is brewing for (well, actually already pounding at) Seattle. It's pouring rain and really windy right now, and then a cold front is coming tonight and tomorrow. We could get snow dumped on us tonight and tomorrow ... the forecasters are always non-comittal about it, but even down to sea level we could see up to 8 inches of snow. I'm sure we won't get that, but it looks like we'll see something at least - and since Seattle seems to only have 3 snowplows (2 are in the shop) and doesn't use salt on the roads, I'm betting that tomorrow the roads will be ghastly. More 9-hour commutes. Hopefully I'm wrong about that ... and hopefully we won't lose power again.
• No big job news yet ... but at the risk of jinxing it, I did get a call about what is potentially a great opportunity. It's a temp-to-hire position, so they want to interview any potential candidates rather than just having the temp agency send someone over, but it sounds exciting and right up my accounting alley (as opposed to any other alleys). Hopefully I'll hear something tomorrow (and hopefully I'll have an interview!).
• I've had a couple of requests to see more of Scott on here. He's infinitely more popular than me after the Bob the Crab video. So, I promise to post more of him soon, with his permission. Of course, then no one will want to hear from me again ...
• Most importantly - dinner. I'm think steak burritos tonight (skirt steak marinated in olive oil, garlic, lime juice and cilantro, mixed with rice/salsa/shredded cheese, wrapped in flour tortillas and of course - some guacamole and sour cream). Lately I've had a hard time thinking of what to make ... anyone have any ideas? You don't have to send recipes, but what all do you eat for dinner, and what are your favorites? C'mon ... you can all come up with one thing. Help a buddy out here ...

Okay, done for now. Carry on.

Patriotic Paranoia

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

President Bush will be announcing his "New Way Forward" plan for Iraq in a speech tomorrow night. We all know, both from the news and from history, that his "new way" means more of the same and then some - sending more troops to Iraq (20,000 is the number I've been hearing most frequently).

His approval rating for his handling of the war in Iraq is at 26% as of yesterday. His Republican, blank-check Congress was defeated pretty soundly in the November elections. A majority of Congress and even troops currently stationed in Iraq do not believe that his "surge" is going to help to win the war. Military officials - whom Bush said he would rely on to tell him how to deal with the situation - are saying this escalation (oops - "surge") is not a good idea. But, being The Decider and willing to do anything at all to save face (as if that's even remotely possible anymore) are of all-encompassing importance to him. Period. His ego is more important than our troops, our standing in the world, or reality.

And then this happened. The good ol' US of A attacks Al Qaeda militants in Somalia - two days before Dubya unveils his new, hard-thought-out plan for "success".

I will be infinitely surprised if in his speech tomorrow night, he does not bring up the attacks in Somalia as a reason that we have to stay in Iraq and "fight the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them here". And yes, I sincerely believe this is the reason for the Somalia raids, at least the reason for the impeccable timing.

I'm just curious to see and hear what the result will be - how the American sheeple and the Republicans will take it. He'll do anything at all to pull as many people as possible onto "his side".

I can't imagine becoming any more disgusted with this president. But, he never ceases to amaze me. I have a feeling that after listening to his speech tomorrow, my opinion of him will be even lower. He does have quite a talent for sinking lower than even my expectations.

Let's face it, I'm tired!!!

I've been watching some of these articles for the past week. Just when you think the right-wing can't get any more obsessed and holier-than-thou and ignorant - and leading their sheeple down the same ignorant path - BAM! You're proven wrong.

Exhibit A:

"Concerned Women For America" member Jan LaRue says that if we move toward legalizing gay marriage, then we're moving toward legalizing polygamy. Because, of course, we need to recognize our bisexual brethren in our fight for equality. And, of course, since bisexual people are attracted to both males and females, they need to be able to marry one person of each gender in order to fulfill who they are.

*SIGH*

Good As You (one of my favorite website regarding gay issues and rights) does a wonderful job of responding to this idiocy, so I won't even bother going into detail about how asinine this is. I will add my agreement, however, that I am disgustingly sick and tired of how the ultra-conservative "right" (term used quite loosely) has an overwhelmingly horrible track record when it comes to what they think are "moral" issues. They spin, they twist words, they misquote, they grasp at any tiny fleeting thing they possibly can and pound that square peg into their round hole to make the entire world fit into their warped idea of "right". Anyone who thinks that gay marriage - or anything even remotely close to approximating the rights that heterosexuals enjoy even if they pledge their sacred vows in a Vegas Strip chapel for a holy, blessed 55-hour "marriage" - will result in the downfall of society, the destruction of the "sanctity" of marriage, the end of The Mighty American Way Of Life, dogs and cats living together, yadda yadda yadda ... well, let's just say that it must be mighty hard to see the light when you have your tiny little head shoved so far up your Holier-Than-Thou orifice. To talk about same-sex marriage and polygamy as intertwined isn't just apples and oranges - it's more like apples and brake pads. They have not one single fucking thing to do with each other.

Exhibit B:

Rush Limbaugh.

Do I even need to say anything more?

Yes, the story he is talking about is unorthodox, and caught me a little by surprise. A lesbian couple in Canada has a young boy, whose biological father also plays a role in his life. So the court ruled that all three parents are legal guardians of the child, assuring that no matter what happens to either of his mommies, he won't be thrown into an orphanage and into the throws of adoption proceedings.

This is about the child - about protecting him, assuring that the parents who raise him and love him can keep doing that in the face of circumstances that hopefully will never have to be faced. Isn't that what parenting is supposed to be about? Doing whatever it takes to ensure the best for your child's welfare?



This is what infuriates me, and so many millions of others who hold my opinion. The right-wing, the ultra-conservative, the religious extremists - they all decry homosexuality and gay marriage and gay parenthood. It's unnatural, they say. It's against God's Law. It harms children and society and all that is "right". (I can't seem to stop putting that word in quotes).

But homosexuality is not unnatural. It occurs in nature, documented in many species of animals as well as humans. By definition, the mere fact that it occurs means that it is not unnatural.

Against God's Law? If your view of life and the world is so narrow and insecure that you need to believe that something written thousands of years ago is the end-all and be-all of morality, then how can you form your own thought system and be a part of an ever-evolving and loving world? How can you "love your neighbor as yourself" if you are adamant about keeping your eyes and heart closed to that? And isn't that loving world what God, in any religion, teaches and wants from us?

Harms children and society? Raising a child in a loving home is harming them? A child living in a home that is willing to fight legal battles in order to keep and teach and love him is in an unacceptable environment? Having a loving, monogamous couple who pledges themselves to each other harms society? Accepting and embracing each other harms the good of the world?


I don't get it. I try to understand the people who spew this hatred, I try to understand why they think the way they do, and I'm utterly incapable of it. These people think that I and my fellow brothers and sisters who hold the same opinions are wrong, are blind, that we're incapable of seeing reality and morality. We're sinners, the dregs of humanity, not worthy of anything but their disgust and contempt and every fiber of their being used to extinguish us from "their" society.

I don't know that this post has any point other than my venting. But I will say this, with more conviction than I thought possible: These people need to prove to me why what they say is worthy of my love and understanding and compassion, and how it can possibly be that they are truly interested in progressing our society and our world into a better place than it is now. I'm needing some justification from them.

Because I am tired of believing that I have anything to prove to them.

Update

My brother was released from the hospital this afternoon and is back at home. His stress test was normal, so it doesn't look like heart trouble. He's had high blood pressure for a while and had been on medication for that - which he's now back on, of course. His doctor thinks that's what caused the problems. Nice big wake-up call to us all to take care of ourselves as best as we can ...

Thank you, all of you, for your positive thoughts and the nice comments and e-mails you sent. I needed that, my brother needed that, and I appreciate it. Y'all are cherubs, I tell ya.

Needing some good thoughts.

My brother is in the hospital. He may have had a heart attack, but there is no definitive word yet. He had pressure in his chest and just generally didn't feel good, so he went to the emergency room this morning. He's on quite a few medications, so his blood pressure is coming down some and his latest EKG is in the "normal" range, but they're monitoring his heart rate and enzyme levels. His heart rate was pretty low but his blood pressure was high when he went in. He's due to have stress-testing done in the morning and then they'll know more.

He's only 40 - a year and twelve days older than me - and I hope this is not as serious as it might possibly be. I talked to him for almost an hour this afternoon, and he sounds okay - tired and a little scared, but was making jokes and sounded like his good ol' self for the most part. My oldest brother is planning on going to the hospital this afternoon to spend some time with him. I suddenly wish I didn't live so far away. I'd be in that room with him 24/7.

If there's such a thing as good karma and positive energy in the universe, he certainly deserves all of it. If you believe in that too, please send it on. Please.

Thanks. Many, many thanks.

My NOT so strongest suit ...

I almost forgot ... me in my interview togs ...

My strongest suit ...

So I got up this morning, ironed my snazzy interview clothes, pushed the dogs outside (yeah, they were REALLY happy about that) and headed downtown for my meeting with the recruiter.

I took a slew of skills-evaluation tests - and did pretty well, thank you very much. Embarrassingly enough, what I considered my strongest points were not my strongest results. But, nothing devastating ... more laughable than annoying. I really blew them away with my data-entry skills. :)

Apparently there are a LOT of jobs out there that I am a strong candidate for. Right now, I'm actually looking at temporary and temp-to-hire positions; I want to make sure that I fit the company and the company fits me before either side makes a commitment to the other. I'm actually kinda excited about this. I can make better money than at my last job, get benefits, get regular feedback from the company I'm working for (something sorely lacking from my last long-term employer), and comparison shop for the job that fits just so, instead of grabbing the first thing off the rack. Sounds silly, I know - but it's a luxury I never had the confidence to do in the past.

More news as it comes. Wish me luck, kids.

A New Year, A New Beginning ...

So now it's the New Year. Holidays are over, people are back to work, the tree has been taken down ... this is always a depressing time of year for me. There always needs to be something to look forward to, and right now I'm not sure what it is.

I left my job of 7+ years last December, and started a new job last January. After three months, we parted ways (pretty amicably) because it just wasn't the right fit - it wasn't really a full-time position for me, and while I loved the agency I was working for (an AIDS advocacy group), the job itself wasn't enough to keep my interest, and they knew it. That was the first time I've ever been let go from a position. My ego is still bruised, to be honest.

I've mentioned before that my Dad passed away in October of 2005. A chunk of my inheritance came through before the end of last year ... and I can't begin to describe the freedom that gave me. After many, many years of struggling just to keep my head above water, I was solvent. All of our debt was paid off, I bought a new computer and a new car, we travelled a little ... it was a completely different reality. I decided that taking some time off from working was the perfect thing to do, and probably the only time in my life that it would be possible. So I talked to some friends about changing careers, started thinking of possibilities, and enjoyed the fact that I didn't HAVE to scamper for a job. I took a long, long vacation.

But it never really seemed like such a great vacation. I was bored - everyone I knew was still working full-time, and there's only so much time and so many things that can be spent/done by yourself before you realize that everything is hollow when it's all done in solitude. Of course I had Scott, but he's always worked at least 50 hours a week, so we still only saw each other one or two full days a week. I was hoping that this time off would give me more insight into myself, more self-reflection and self-evolving and that BAM! something would suddenly throw itself in front of me and I'd know exactly what my life was going to be about. I was expecting too much.

It hasn't happened that way. I still don't have the opportunity to go back to school. No career epiphanies have come along. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. (Well, I STILL want to be a musician, but that's a long story and won't be my life path in this lifetime ... )

So now, it's a New Year. New opportunities. New goals. New things that need to happen in my life. I'm looking again at accounting jobs, which I was sure I wouldn't go back to - but, it's what I can do, and pretty well, too. I got a call back from a recruiting firm this afternoon, so we'll see where that will go. They're excited about my resume and my experience ... and I should be ecstatic. Maybe I will be. Maybe I expect too much, maybe too much to just be handed to me, maybe I'm just not enough of a "go-getter" and that's why my music career stalled way back when. I want to be excited about what I'm getting up to go do each morning, to be happy and fulfilled and bring THAT home with me, not just stress and exhaustion and dealing with day after day after day.

So, even though this sounds like a whining, complaining, not-exactly-what-one-is-supposed-to-post-in-the-New-Year entry ... I need to believe that something good is about to happen. That a new page is about to be written in my life, and that I am strong enough to make it a good story. I do want to feel good about what I'm doing in my life, and soon.

L'heure de la sortie

We made a video of our New Year's Eve celebrations - we're quite the dancers when we get a few drinks in us ...



Doesn't Scott look like a young Celine Dion??