The Definition of Irony.

So, you're against abortion, since it is the murder of a human being. And the way that you speak out? You murder a man who performed abortions.

F***ing brilliant. Nice statement about the sanctity of human life.

Ringo Starr, Lined Eyes

Brilliant. Via Joe.My.God (who is quite brilliant himself).

Why "Marriage" is more important than "Civil Unions".

A great definition by Rob Thomas on Huffington Post:

A civil union has to do with death. It's essentially a document that gives you lower taxes and the right to let your faux spouse collect your insurance when you pass away. A marriage is about life. It's about a commitment. And this argument is about allowing people to have the right to make that commitment, even if it doesn't make sense to you. Anything else falls under the category of "separate but equal" and we know how that works out.

Amen.

We Won't Back Down.

Matterpics

Memorial Day Weekend. Scott off ... well, at least Saturday and Monday. Trips to the nursery. New plants. Yard work. Pet store. Re-planting all the hanging baskets (nice basket, heh heh). Sore backs and knees and lots o' splinters. Cooking ribs for dinner. Hope y'all had a great long weekend.

Flora ... or Fauna, I forget which is which ...

This is our Golden Chain tree (Laburnum x Watereri). It's a beautiful shade tree, and in May it blooms with bright yellow grape-like clusters of flowers, similar to wisteria blossoms. It attracts lots of bees, and the flower clusters sway gracefully in the breeze. I fell in love with this tree the first time I saw it here in Seattle.

Scott calls it the "Golden Showers" tree. It loses something in that translation.

You're So Gay. I Bet You Think This Post Is About You.

This pisses me off like crazy. Some former mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, is vehemently defending himself against the *gasp* accusation that he is gay.

I agree with defending yourself against libel. But this is just ... well ... offensive. The tone of his message is that being gay could be the most horrific thing in the world. "I'm also going to FIGHT to defend my good name" - because, obviously, being gay means your name is shameful and dirty.

Now, I know there are one or two heterosexuals who read Matterdays. And some who stumble upon here from some Google search or other. I ask you, honestly - what would your reaction be if someone accused you of being gay? Even if it wasn't as public as the above story ... maybe in front of a group of friends, or co-workers? I'm looking for raw, honest answers - you won't hurt my feelings or say anything I haven't heard before. I just really am interested in what this would mean to you, since my frame of reference is obviously skewed.

Thanks, all.

You Can Help.

There's a lot of work to do for marriage equality, regardless of the momentum that has developed lately. I think this is a hugely important issue. You can help. If you agree, go see Scott's post and make a difference.

More Yay For Us.

I like it.

Gov. Christine Gregoire is surrounded by children, politicians, press and onlookers at the Montlake Community Center as she signs Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5688, one of three bills signed that gives couples registered as domestic partnerships everything but marriage.

And, I like that the hate-filled comments only make me laugh anymore.

Matterpics

Beautiful weekend here. Sunny and in the mid-70's. Scott off on Saturday. University District Street Fair. Yardwork. Dinner out! Sunburn. Lazy Sunday. Mmm-mmm good.

The front of our house as we left:

Corner of James and 8th - the apartment I lived in when I first moved to Seattle (2nd floor, facing the street corner):

Portage Bay from I-5:

Why worship something you fear? Silly:

Mmm - street fair food! (I had a gyro):

Roar!:

Sunny University Avenue ("The Ave"):

Great name for a used book store:

The view inside the Honey Bucket (hey, at least the camera was pointing straight ahead!):

More street fair:

The Majic Bubble Wand! We almost bought one to play with Kali:

This looks like a miniature version of Stoli:

I love how dog-friendly Seattle is:

Columbine blooming by the sidewalk:

You Are Here:

A sneaky picture of the Rainbow Man. He's at every street fair. At the Gay Pride Parade he walks around flashing everyone. NOT pretty:

We didn't buy this (although we LOVE this company!):

Scott likes gargoyles:

A sign on a telephone pole on the way back to the car:

Dinner at a mall restaurant we hadn't been to - hey, we're daring:

About 8:00 on a Saturday night, and the restaurant was almost empty (sad - it was pretty good food, actually):

Scott had ribs. Past tense, obviously. He enjoyed them: