Homer'sWorld

Goddam Nightmare. I dreamed I was in the backseat of a car with Him, Peter, John, and others- stopped at a donut shop. While he was out buying big gooey rolls, the others started telling me how long it had taken after the break-up for them to sleep with him. No one cared that it upset me.

In real life I woke up pretty upset. I had gone to bed feeling crappy since I got too much sun in Patagonia and by late afternoon had a splitting headache. I was supposed to go to Bob and Steve's Italia party and I made baked brie (raspberry, pink grapefruit, and kiwi-gooseberry) to take along, but as I drove over I was feeling rather nauseated. I apologized, came home, and promptly puked violently. Nasty. It came out my nose. It burned and I had to blow and blow before the chunks of crackers and grapes from lunch had cleared out. You probably didn't need to know that.




3:00 AM- Joey and two of my linoleum art pieces.
homerpatagoniasmallsize.jpg


Green flowers.


Hooked rug fraqment.


Distressed brown piece.

Drive down to Patagonia with Sam. It is so lush and green right now due to the monsoon rains. There is this one spot where you drive out of the scrub oak forest up a slight hill, and suddenly you are in this enormous tall grass prairie. In the distance are mountains, but from the right angle you can't see them at all. They filmed the movie Oklahoma there in the 1950s. Sam is excited about September- lots of good things coming his way. I hope my September is half as good.


Sam and the prairie near San Rafael.


Landscape.


Detail.

Some of my friends will think I'm crazy, but I turned down the opportunity to hang out with the Abercrombie and Fitch models who are in town for a wedding and Bruce Weber photo shoot. My friend Robert is the groom/model's uncle. I guess having barbeque with nubile, 20-somethings was a little too daunting.

I gave myself a haircut- No. 2. Now I'm all itchy and scratchy. I haven't paid for a haircut in over a year- too damn cheap.

I had a letter in today's Tucson Citizen:

Commandments flap is equality issue

"Several readers have complained about the American Civil Liberty Union's relentless pursuit of separation of church and state in Alabama and elsewhere.

Personally, I am all for the Ten Commandments being exhibited on government property- as long as we give equal opportunities, when requested, to any other religious groups that want to put up their own memorials.

I imagine Christians would not find it particularly appealing, however, to share space with Satan worshippers, Wiccans, atheists, Hindus, and others.

They might take offense to some of the beliefs expressed by these groups - such as the concept of reincarnation followed by Buddhists or the belief of atheists that there is no god.

In the same sense, members of these groups view the exhibition of the Ten Commandments in government spaces as intrusive and suggestive that politicians prefer one religious philosophy over the others.

The government should not be in the business of encouraging one religion over another. In countries where certain religions are favored - such as India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, etc. - you find a great amount of internal strife. We have been saved from this problem by the wisdom of divorcing government from religion."

Mike and I excavated inside the triplex house today. Traces of the people that were there before us linger- a drycleaning bill from 1924, a love letter from Manny to Babe: "Well I guess you found somebody else at Bwanos Bar, because you shure look nice when you go over their and smell nice too, but when you go with me never look that nice before..." Beneath the floor we find scraps of Hohokam life- pottery, an arrow, a piece from a grinding stone. On the actual floor and walls are the shredded embellishments of forgotten lives.


Layers of linoleum.


Fading wallpaper resembling Pompeiian frescoes.

Mike said, "Why don't you take some of that linoleum home and make some art out of it." It is going to be pulled up and tossed anyway, since it is so cruddy. So I brought back several pieces, bought some cheap blank canvases at Michael's and some dark upholstery tacks at True Value, and made some found art. I need to go back next week and get some more pieces, there is one with lovely red foliage and another with 1920s art deco designs. Looking at the two pieces hanging up in front of my computer makes me feel very happy.

Yuck. Wanna barf- take a look at the George Bush air craft carrier Action Figure:


Cold Showers- my water heater pilot light has gone out and I can't relight it. The heater is old and unfortunately lives in a little flimsy metal shed in my backyard. I may have to replace it. Heaters are relatively cheap. Plumbers are not. Last time I had a plumber over he was easy on the eyes and somehow that makes writing that check a little better.


Mothra- Greg took this picture at work today.

Geez, I've been so lazy. Normally I come home from work and work on my own stuff, but I'm in one of those periodic phases in which playing with the cats, cleaning house, and just doing nothing is much more interesting.

My mother comes and spends a couple of weeks in November every year since 1997. She is so easy to get along with and we have a good time. I take her out to have Ethiopian and Indian food, which aren't available back in rural Michigan. My friends come over and hang out- a couple of them think of my mom as a substitute for their late mothers. It is really nice.

We went to Mesquite Growers Nursery last November and I bought a packet of daisy seeds. I scratched up an area in my front "lawn" (I let the grass die and it is mostly dirt) and planted the seeds, not really believing that much would come of that. Instead in the spring this big patch came up and for a few weeks I had amazing flowers. See below.



Front yard daisies, Spring 2003.

Flash flood. I went out yesterday afternoon to do domestic things- buy cat litter, a new broom, a little rug for the kitchen, and stopped at IBTs on the way home. The night before a bolt of lightning had struck a tree on its patio (a sign?). Sunday afternoon is karoake and it is pretty popular. Ran into Michael and Robbie and chatted with them. Michael got up and sang (I'm not a public singer) and was really quite good. Afterwards went to the Denture Inn and ran into Mark and Rene and Douglas and hung out with them. It started to rain. And rain. And rain.

Tucson streets don't drain particularly well and most areas don't have sewers since it doesn't rain that much. Suddenly there was 10 inches of water running to the west, downhill toward the river. It ran for several hours before going down enough for me to get into the car. Lots of hijinks going on in the bar- amusing but I didn't participate- not my style.

And then I woke up this morning with pinkeye. Blech.

A trip with Yorgos, Thanksgiving 1994.

Tonight I went to a birthday party for Dave thrown by his boyfriend Jeff. And on the long drive back I started thinking about what happened a year ago. I was sitting at this computer when He came into the room and said "I have something I need to talk to you about." I looked up and asked, "Is it something serious?" And he replied, "Well, it may be." We went into the bedroom and sitting on that expensive bed that I bought to make him happy he told me he was leaving.

To say that I was surprised would be stating the case mildly. There were no overt clues, no fights, nothing on the surface that I could have used to predict that this would happen. It was unbelievable. And a year later the horrible pain still sometimes makes my heart ache. My best friend, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, didn't love me enough to sort through his problems and stay.

Although he would deny it, he had all of the power at that moment. He made the decision to go, to pack up the clothes I picked out for him, the artwork, the this and that collected over five years. I spent most of the time sobbing, my mind abnormal. I had to go see a psychologist, took wretched pills for a while that made me yawn and want to vomit. At work the receptionist couldn't figure out why I no longer smiled. The holidays were horrible. At times I wished I would never have to see him again. At other times all I wanted was to have him back.

A year later I still miss him. Miss the conversations about silly things, the feeling of trust and security that meant less to him that it did for me. As I sit in front of the computer tonight I wonder if I will ever have those feelings again.


Strange skies over Tucson.

Red flowers at San Rafael.

Yesterday's Arizona Daily Star carried a letter to the editor that I wrote:

"Procreation is only one reason for marriage
Arizona's Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Sweeney claims that homosexuals should not be allowed to marry because they are unable to procreate ("Goddard's office opposes gay marriage," Aug. 16).

If procreation is the standard that defines marriage, then why doesn't the state require fertility tests when people apply for a marriage license? And why are elderly people, specifically post-menopausal women, allowed to marry? What happens if scientists develop a technique that allows two women to make a baby related to both of them?

Marriage isn't always about procreation. In many cases it is also a business contract that allows assets to be shared between two unrelated people.

The state has better things to do with its money than hang on to discriminatory laws."

I have had over a dozen letters in the last year in the paper. This one struck a nerve and a number of my gay and straight friends called and emailed me to thank me for writing it. My hope is that someone, somewhere reads this letter and realizes that gay marriage is okay and the Religious Wrong are just filled with hate rather than the love they profess.

The Amazing Race was so exciting- Chip and Reichen, those lovely gay guys, WON! What was particularly fun was the last leg of the race was in Phoenix- and I have been to all of the places- the state capitol, Sun Devil Stadium, and Papago Park (which Reichen pronounced Pa-pago Park). Also amusing is that Papago Park is a huge gay cruising area. When I worked at the old Office of Cultural Resource Management office, located on the edge of the park, you would sometimes see men going off into the bushes in pursuit of their own Amazing Race.

Fraud update- I contacted the New England Historic Genealogical Society today and it turns out the faker is well known and they are collecting data on him. I hope he gets his ass thrown in the slammer.

Americans have a morbid interest in death row prisoner's last meals. Some one recently asked me what my last meal would be. It didn't take me long to make a list:

Lemonade
Eggplant parmesan
A little salad with honey mustard dressing
A side of mashed potatoes
Maybe some parsnips
Strawberry shortcake (with Bisquick biscuits)
A bar of really bitter chocolate and a glass of whole milk

By the way, capital punishment is wrong. It is just plain evil to kill people and the number of freed innocent people, released from death rows across the United States, makes it obvious that we have a crappy legal system.

So the guy that was trying to sell me faked family tree data got himself screwed. He hadn't cashed the check by this morning so I went to my credit union and asked them whether they could stop payment. They could, which seems kinda amazing, and instead of $100 wasted I only lost $15 which was the charge for the process. The Faker sent me two emails after I questioned him and it rapidly became apparent that he is a pathological liar. He wrote:

"You will not find any [reliable] data on the Fagan family online because no one has posted anything on them. I am the only living individual who has ever done serious research on the New England branch of the family. The data that you found on Worldconnect.com was my data originally (which I shared with the submitter); however, I asked her specifically NOT to post the data because the software that she used to upload the GEDCOM [a geneaology database file] created a host of errors (including the one that you mentioned). [comments- it is impossible for a GEDCOM file to create those types of errors. Also the Fagan family appears to be imaginary]

Few members of this progeny appear in early census records for a variety or reasons: Primarily because they were "Torries" (British sympathizers) and did not make themselves particularly accessible to anyone associated with post-Revolutionary Yankee government (with census-takers on the top of that list). [comments- bullcrap- Tories didn't dodge the census, especially by the early 1800s, when the war was a distant memory]

Rest assured that the information that I have shared with you is accurate."

The $15 was almost worth the amusement this created, but I wonder how many other people have lost money to this kid.

I shook hands with Howard Dean at around 10 AM today.

The New York Times has an article on why humans lost most of their fur. I know some men who haven't.

I have exchanged an email with Jonno, sending him some info on one of his cute dead guys. Jonno, who must be overwhelmed with emails, is still a lovely, polite man.

I paid someone for some family history research and he sent me a pile of faked material- apparently he didn't think I was smart enough to discover that he had sent the same file, with a few small changes in the pertinent person, to someone else. Unfortunately for this stupid person, he included his parents names in the database and, despite sending me only a postoffice box number, it was relatively easy to find them in a reverse white pages directory. I wonder how they will feel when I contact them and explain how their son is ripping people off by charging money for bogus data. I talked with Pat about this before I sent the check, and we agreed that it might be a scam. And we were right. Unfortunately.

Books. I have been reading a lot lately. About halfway through Bangkok 8- a very trippy, informative crime novel. A heard about the book on NPR- which is where I also found out about Perdito Street Station by China Mieville. Mieville has a wicked imagination, I mean I don't know how he came up with some of his nightmarish ideas.

There are a few books that I read over again every couple of years. Malevil is the ultimate end-of-the-world story, set in fire-seared rural France. I have always loved the Borrowers series, at least the first three books. A Night to Remember by Walter Lord is a well-written account of the Titanic's last hours. Martin's Hundred by Ivor Noel Hume is the best archaeology book ever written.

My mother encouraged me to read when I was a kid. To this day I will pick up any magazine and manage to find something interesting to read. As a result I have a lot of useless and arcane information in my head and sometimes amaze friends by being able to discuss strange topics with some lucidity.

I hung out with Curtis today- had lunch at Time Market and then went with him over to an eyeglass shop so he could buy a pair of faux tortoise-shell frames. They make hi look like a librarian- very smart.

Joey cat just climbed onto my lap. This morning while I was sorting pottery she was being chased around by Princess. I was yelling 'Stop it! Can't you guys just get along." Unfortunately, the cats aren't bilingual.

I don't think I'm particularly artistic, although I like to take pretty pictures (and hope to put some on here when Blogspot gets their act together) and every Christmas I have a Holiday cookie decorating party that my friends all say is a lot of fun. I envy people who can draw well or paint or write music.

At last night's lecture a man told me he had come specifically to see who I was- he had been reading my letters to the editor to the Arizona Daily Star and agreed with me on everything. That was cool.

Only 32 days until I am 40.

I'm giving a lecture tonight on the Presidio, the Spanish-Mexican period fort that once stood in the downtown area. I've been lucky over the last few years and have found several portions of the exterior wall and last winter the northeast tower. I've gotten good at public speaking, perhaps because I've given so many talks lately.

I was going to buy some plants this weekend but instead decided to pay bills. While I away in Michigan a few weeks ago most of my potted plants died, which kinda sucked since many of them were perennials. The two hibiscus bushes will be missed the most, since they bloomed most of the time.

Talked to my old friend Pat. I'm going to Washington DC to visit him and go to the National Archives to do research. I met Pat in 1987 and he is the best straight male friend I have. As he would say, "He's a wonderful kind of guy."

Had to drive down to the San Rafael Valley, southeast of Tucson, today to go look at the San Rafael Ranch. The ranch was purchased by the Arizona State Parks a few years ago and was the location for the movie "Oklahoma."

One of the reasons that Arizona can be so exciting is that there are so many different ecoystems. You arrive at San Rafael after driving through an oak forest near Patagonia. You go up a small rise and suddenly you are surrounded by a tall grass prairie with distant mountains in the background. It is really impressive, even though I'm not describing it particularly well. At the moment it is extremely green from the monsoon rains and in one spot the road is lined with native sunflowers that tower over your head. I had a good day hanging with Mark, my grad school roommate.

King George II was in town today. I can't stand to hear his nasal whine, perhaps because I know that everything he says is doublespeak. I wonder what would happen if he and his cronies were to actually speak the truth. Lies and secrecy, that is what Bush et al. know best.

I call the office of Senators Kyl and McCain fairly frequently. "Where are those weapons of mass destruction?" I ask. I was assured repeatedly before and during the war that they were there. The lack of credible evidence was clear enough to me at the time, especially after Colin Powell gave his speech at the UN. I guess I should feel vindicated but all I feel is sadness that so many people had to die because of Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, etc.

The War in Iraq has bogged down and American soldiers die every couple of days. The economy is torpid and jobs are disappearing overseas. My prediction- the upcoming presidential election will be preceded by the start of another war (no president has lost during a war) and/or we will see gay marriage as one of the big campaign issues. Either way, Americans will not be winners- unless people wise up and vote a Democrat into office.

Went north to Phoenix yesterday to hang out with my friends B. and R. They live in a new apartment building. Very luxurious and comfortable. My favorite amenity- the polished granite kitchen counters. We went to a restaurant called My Flowers for a birthday dinner of a friend of theirs. I had peanut butter and blackberry jelly sandwiches. The birthday cake was really good- it had fudge in between the layers. Of course I had an unpleasant stomache ache afterwards.

We went to 'Pageant- The Musical" at the Herberger Theater. The play is about the Glamouresse Beauty Pageant and had six men dressed up as women- for instance "Miss Deep South" and "Miss Industrial Northeast." It was funny and at times the actors interacted with the audience in an amusing way. The pageant emcee was really good. While we were at the restaurant my short, cute buddy Bob showed up and he also sat in front of me at the theater. He is better looking every time I see him.

Gay guys in Phoenix tend to look alike- most of them have perfect haircuts and wear tight black shirts and slacks/designer jeans. When I am up in Phoenix I feel like a nerd. I mean, I give myself my own haircuts so they are never very good. And I am not interested in dress shirts, at least not enough to actually buy one. My friend Curtis gave me a cool vintage tuxedo shirt that only buttons halfway (your 'sposed to use studs for the rest). I wore it unbuttoned and felt I looked like a late 1970s stud.

Bruce Kluger has a great editorial in the New York Times today on the interconnectedness of the internet. The 'Six Degrees of Separation" phenomena that was recently used in an attempt to discredit the gay bishop candidate from New Hampshire. A youth group he was involved with briefly had a website that, through websites it was linked to, eventually linked to a porn site. Since porn is the number one internet industry that is not the least bit surprising.

What if we targeted people based on their degrees of separation? Case in point:

George BUSH--->Dick RUMSFIELD--->Saddam HUSSEIN

Rummy actually shook hands with Sodomy Insane at a meeting during George I's reign.

Conspiracy theories- one of my favorites (?) is "Bill Clinton, murderer." According to a bunch of right wing fanatics, Clinton was responsible for the murders of a number of people who were connected to him in often tangential ways. Too much time on their hands. Now Terry Gross at NPR must be murdering a lot of people because lately her show has been re-running interviews with people who have mysteriously died. The last one I heard was Bob Hope. At least she waited until he was 100.

Family History I'm really into family history and local history- the small scale stuff. I am currently working on my portfolio to apply to become a certified genealogist and after a trip to the National Archives in October I am sending that application off. I like puzzles and mysteries. Where did someone come from? How long did they live? Who were their parents? Etc. Often you have scant clues to rely on and then maybe you make a cool discovery. It is nice that as part of my work I often end up researching the lives of the people that I dig up.

Totally changing topics. Tucson has a "men's bar," the Venture Inn, and I am not sure I want to spend my dollars there. They kicked drag queens out in December, called the police on them, since the owner wants the place to maintain its "maleness," whatever that is. It disturbs me that gays belittle each other or say things like I'm "straight acting" or "not into this or that ethnic/racial group." It seems to me that the last thing a minority group needs to do is tear apart each other rather than the oppressors who would rather that we hide in a hole in the ground. I also hate the fact that gay bars usually don't have windows and are so hidden away. I understand the reasoning behind this, I just can't wait for the day when gays are considered absolutely boring.

I'm addicted to the Amazing Race show. I sit on the couch and yell at the television, "You are so stupid!" or "Run!" It probably relates to the horrible hurry-hurry dreams I have in which I am attempting to get people to leave burning buildings or the scene of an impending disaster. The gay guys, Chip and Reichen, are my favorites. Chip looks good in a swimsuit. I also like the clowns, Jon and Al, who make a nice straight couple.

I don't have extended cable so I'm missing out on Bravo's gay series. My sister Susan is a big fan of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and when I was back in Michigan a couple of weeks ago we watched two episodes. The blonde style guy- personally I think he needs a few style tips. What awful hair. Of course, he actually has a full head. My hair is thinning dramatically on top and all of the lying of my friends "You aren't going bald!" will not make it grow back.

Redheads Can someone explain why men with auburn or red hair are so attractive? Ever since I was in high school I have had this thing for them. I dunno why, I just like that look. Maybe I should move to Ireland or Scotland.

Actually, the thought of moving to another country has been going through my head a lot lately. If the Republicans manage to finagle their proposed constitutional amendment against gay marriage I don't think I will want to stay in the United States. It is very tiresome to be hated and loathed by a significant portion of the population because of unrational religious beliefs. Where to go? I'm terrible at language so the most likely place would be Canada. That would be a big change- moving north to the cold, the wet, the snowy. But maybe that would be okay. There is not a lot holding me here in Tucson besides my job. I have some really good friends and a house that I would never sell (housing is very cheap here and I could rent this for the mortgage payment). But in a year or two I may be ready for a big change.

Current Events

I'm suffering from a reverse farmer's tan. I went skinny dipping at a friend's pool on Sunday and although I applied sunscreen, I forgot to do my upper arms. The rest of me is slightly brown and like everyone else, I think I look better with a little tan skin.

I took pity on the kitties this afternoon and allowed them into the kitchen/dining room- after I carefully covered the couches so Joey can't piss on them. They seem very happy, especially because they can sit in the backdoor and look out.

Chuck George is reading the weather on the telly. He was gone for a few years and came back to Tucson. Did he have plastic surgery? Or maybe its just the blinding whiteness of his teeth. I miss Tom Johnston, who was soooo cute.

I'm monitoring the restoration of an old adobe house in the oldest part of Tucson. I've been digging holes beneath the floor before scaffolding and jacks are installed to hold the upper portion of the house up as the damaged adobe bricks near the base of the wall are replaced. I've been finding prehistoric artifacts (pottery, a piece of a shell bracelet, flaked stone) and Presidio era items- including some majolica pottery and a really cool Spanish period nail. I've also been researching the history of the house and its first occupants. It's really fun and a relief from sitting at my desk writing.

I was the successful bidder on some divided Mallo Ware plates on Ebay. I cobbled together the "Official Mallo Ware Collector's Website" using dull Microsoft FrontPage last year. My ceramics dishes from Pier One were all chipped and looking ugly. I pulled out my mother's melamine dishes from the 50s and 60s and got on Ebay and found some more. My friends are always amazed when they see them and recently a co-worker went online and started her own collection. I'm still looking for a few colors and a cafeteria tray to complete my collection.

What else? I'm trying to upgrade on Blogger so I can put photos on here but it is being ornery.

Archaeology I've wanted to be an archaeologist ever since I was 8 or 9. In 1972 my mom showed me a National Geographic article about the island of Santorini, which had a volcano that erupted about 4,000 years ago, burying a Minoan city in ash. Lots of nifty things found there- the most exciting are beautiful frescoes of monkeys, boys boxing, women gathering fruit for a ritual, flowers, etc. When I visited Santorini in 1996 it was kind of a letdown, since there was no museum. Since that time they have opened one and you can actually see the artifacts and frescoes there instead of at the National Museum in Athens.

So I went away to U of Michigan, got an A.B. degree, specializing in human bone analysis. Went away for a 10 week long dig in Mountainair, New Mexico- got hooked on the craft of archaeology. It really does take a lot of skill to be able to read the soil. And then returned to Ann Arbor for the worst months of my life. I didn't know how to get an archaeology job and my professors were no help, they didn't realize that there was archaeology outside of academia. I ended up working at the U of Michigan Business School taking care of their journal collection.

Oh my, that was an evil job. I replaced a woman who was mildly retarded. What took her 8 hrs to do I could finish in 4 hrs. And then I would have to find something to do. My superiors nagged at me to buy more "business-like" attire. Finally I had to tell them that at $5.91 an hour (this is in 1986-1987) there was no way I could afford dressy clothes. They nagged at me about my handwriting. I had to write call numbers on the outside of the journals. Except the business students were soooo stupid that the journals were filed alphabetically, so it didn't matter what the call number was. They nagged because I would read Time and Newsweek on my break and because I didn't eat in the cafeteria with the students boasting about their $60k jobs they were going to be getting.

I started going to work 5 minutes late each day, and then started leaving 5 minutes early, knowing that in 48 days I would get a free day out of the stolen time. Luckily I didn't have to wait. On the day I had my introductory lunch with the head of the library the National Park Service called and hired me for a dig at Fort Union Trading Post in North Dakota. Off I went to start my exciting new life.

Cats As I sit at my computer my cats surround me. Joey, a rare orange female tabby, sits to my right. Like all cats she is enamored by sitting on stray pieces of paper or cloth. Joey doesn't like Princess or Bear, who are playing on the floor, and meows angrily if they get to close. Unfortunately she decided last year to piss on the furniture as a way of expressing this anger. Very frustrating, since otherwise she is a really lovely beast. Mama Cat is sitting in the dining room. She is the only one allowed in my bedroom at night. She lies next to me, hoping I will reach out and pet her. Perhaps she is my favorite. She was the first cat, rescued from my backyard- knocked up and giving birth a week later to five kittens. Or maybe it is Puff, who is a lap baby. He is the sweetest to strangers, coming up to them and demanding to be handled. Puff is a big black pussy cat, and acts kinda girlish, my mother saying once to me 'That cat is confused." Bear is also black, and is a big wuss, letting Joey push him around. Bear's sister Princess is a gray lilac point Siamese with beautiful light blue eyes. She is the prettiest and I think she knows it.

And then there is Homer- who basically lets the cats rule his life. Is that a bad thing?

Monsoon season in Tucson seems to last forever. Hellish heat and high humidity make Homer an unhappy homo. My house has swamp coolers- basically boxes mounted on the roof through which water runs over sisal pads and a blower pushes air through the pads into the house. When the humidity is low they are very effective at cooling. When the humidity is high you get to enjoy a cooler, moist house. Paper curls, my sheets are damp, it isn't much fun. Last night was just plain disgusting. We need the rain, but I kinda wish the monsoon season was over.

Today's paper breathlessly discusses the issue of gay marriage. Our pretend president and the Vatican, both morally superior to the rest of us sinners, have nothing nice to say about the matter. Somehow gays and lesbians getting married is going to bring about the downfall of heterosexual marriages. Yeah, right. It is really about power and putting people in their place. Many people have this unacknowledged desire to be "better" than other people. Religious people seem to have this need a lot more than non-religious (you are going to hell if you don't believe X, Y, and Z!). Republicans want to stir up their loyal voters with the issue. It is also helpful for Pretend President to divert attention from the awful economy and those missing Iraqi WMDs. My opinion? Well, gays and lesbians pay a lot of taxes and they should have the same right to enter into a legal partnership (AKA marriage) as anyone else.

In other news, Joey cat is not happy. I have five cats- Mama cat, Puff, Joey, Princess, and Bear. Mama cat was first and she is the mother of Puff and Joey, born on 1 April 2000. Last May I found Princess and Bear in the backyard- they were tiny horribly sick kittens. I fed them and their two brothers (who were adopted by a lovely co-worker) and ended up getting attached to them. So five cats. And Miss Joey hates Princess and Bear and is mean to them and then decided to starting pissing on the furniture. So now the cats are forced to live in the study-their bathroom-dining room. Joey is especially mad because all of the lovely cushioned furniture is off limits so she has to use the litter box. It is rather inconvenient and something will have to eventually change. Maybe I'll send Joey off to piss on the Pope's cushy couch.