Homer'sWorld

For Rob, a picture of tonight's lemon meringue pie.


























I name thee Rage.

Well, it's that time of the year when you look back and think about what happened. I starting making a list of highlights but the problem with those kind of lists is that if you forget something or someone you can end up with hurt feelings, and I really don't want any hurt feelings the last day of 2008.

Bathroom progress. The special wall board is up and the cracks are sealed. The brick curb is mortared and sealed (the previous one was wood and had pretty severe termite damage). The duct work for the ceiling fan is in.


























Progress- you can see the new glass block window.

Installation of ceiling fan and drywall work is next. The red tiles had to go back because they weren't right, so once the replacement tiles come in, the tile goes on the wall.

The best Holiday present is to spend time with your friends and make some new friends. Yesterday I drove north to Phoenix with Ray and Cobban. Ohmigod, get the three of us in a car together and we are like pretty teenaged girls. Chatty as can be. One of the good things that has happened in the last couple of years is becoming friends with these two men, they are fabulous in every way.

























Roger's wild tree.

We arrived at Roger's beautiful house and I admired the beautiful Holiday decorations and I was pleased the lemon-rosemary cookies and the herb shortbread came out nice because Roger is an excellent cook.

























The other tree.

Richard and some of the other guys from naked pool volleyball were there (hard to recognize people fully clothed!). I ate a bit too much and my acid reflux kicked in. There were a bunch of people from Phoenix at the party as well, including the sister of my good friend Steve G.

And of course I ended up making a new friend, Kevin, and we spent a lot of time talking and laughing. His sense of humor is as warped and silly as mine.

























Homer and Kevin.

One more party to go before 2009 kicks in. Who knows what the new year will bring?

Puff will always be a baby to me.


























Puff Daddy.

I didn't bring my camera to work this morning so you won't see a picture of the soggy bobcat that just walked down the fence, about 25 ft from my window. It was huge and its fluffy fur was all wet from the constant rain we have been getting. I really wish I had my camera!

At Richard and Roger's Christmas Eve Party I almost won the dice game, losing at the very last roll.

























The Christmas Tree.

Roger had made a Yule Log cake. The meringue mushrooms were too cute.

The Yule Log.

I had a good time, as always.

























Homer and Roger, Scientists!

The highlight of my day today has been cleaning house. I know how to celebrate Holiday!

Drunk post. So I had a lot of gin n tonics at Elliot and Mark's Christmas Party and I had a good time and we sang carols and I had more gin n tonics and I have to sleep in the dining room because the stuff gluing together my new bathroom window smells very chemically and nasty and I had a good time at the party, which I have already told you, but you know, after about six gin n tonics I don't really care and Sandy, Mark, and Zane are going to the airport tomorrow and I'll miss them while they are off exploring the horrors of rural Arkansas, but no one will mess with Mark because he is quite fierce, and Elliot told me I had a good singing voice which is a total mystery and I wonder if Forrest is having a good time in North Carolina and whether Chas is having a good time there too (he's a great guy) and I really need to take some aspirin and go to bed because I have to get up early and go to work and what dessert should I make for Richard's Xmas Eve party and did I ever tell you that story about Richard, I guess I haven't but if I did you would laugh and I had a nice time tonight at Elliot and Mark's house with Larry and Eric and Richard and Lyle et al.

Joey says, "Go to bed!" so I will.

Well Mummy is out of the hospital- it was a blood sugar problem. Too high and they need to re-figure her insulin. This is a relief.


























Vintage Big Santa Head.

I lay in bed and listened to the rain. I hope the coyotes I saw earlier last night had a dry place to spend the night.

I am not in much of a Holiday spirit this year, although I've done the things you are supposed to do. What's up with that?

So my sister Susan woke me up with a phone call to tell me Mummy is in the hospital. Some sort of diabetic problem- the first time she has been in the hospital since January 1965. Apparently she is feeling better already, but I still feel pretty useless. I am not sure whether she will be able to come out to Arizona in January as planned.

Doug came over this morning and we demolished my old shower.
























Before.

We smashed the old tile and discovered that the wood beneath the drywall had termite damage. Good lord, there were several enormous roaches and a huge gecko living in the wall.
























After demo work.

Doug will be treating the remaining wood, replacing the damaged wood, installing drywall, building a new curb, installing a vent and fan, and then doing the tile work in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I am now using the tub in the cat bathroom for the first time.

It sure doesn't feel like Holiday here in Arizona. It has been unusually warm this month, and last night I lay in bed and listened to the rain. Mummy is usually here for Holiday but she isn't coming until January, so it is lonely without her.
























Kitchen wreath with lemons and oranges from the backyard.

I went over to Forrest's and gave him his present, a book that he had mentioned he had wanted for a while. I pay attention when people mention things like that, and it sometimes surprises them that I remember.

I had a surprise myself when Mark and Rodger sent me a box of canned goods in the mail.




















Drunken Raspberry Jam, Tomatillo Salsa, Black & Blue Jam, Fandango Dilled Beans, Spicy Dill Pickles.

I told Forrest I would invited him over for the beans. One of my goals for 2009 is to go up to Portland during canning season and help Mark and Rodger out, they are such sweet guys.

As I type this Joey sits next to me. Puff has been wicked to her lately, chasing her around and being naughty. So she clings close to me for safety. Puff is only getting a lump of coal from Santa for Holiday.

























Joey and Puff this morning, Puff is on his best behavior.

The right ankle is improving and I can almost walk normally again. I forgot to bring my big pill to work this morning, so it aches just a little.

I keep confusing what day of the week it is, maybe that cinnamon schapps I drank on Sunday night killed a few brain cells?

My new shower tile is 6" by 6" and there are seven or eight colors. It will be colorful, perhaps a little dark. I will be so glad when the white tile and grout go away- impossible to keep clean and the disgusting orange mold that would periodically appear will never bother me again.

Holiday is fast approaching- I wish Santa would bring me a certain present, but that isn't likely to happen.

So Brian came down and saved the 9th Annual Holiday Party by helping me out, cleaning and cooking and bringing me the frozen (and disgusting) bag of frozen peas and carrots. We went to the tree lot and I wandered around trying to figure out to work the crutches that Jeffrey had borrowed me. This year I got a six ft tree that is really close to seven ft and makes my house smell woodsy.
























Crutches, nasty devices.

The tree and extra greenery safely in the car, we went to Mexican Safeway where I also plummeted into the meat section. But I caught myself and we returned home and later I made waffles with carmelized bananas along with fajita flavored scrambled free range eggs. I called Forrest to inform him that I had a waffle saved for him. He likes the bananas.
























Forrest ingests his waffle.

Later, after Sandy finished his performance in which the program called Jesus "The Lard" by mistake, he, Mark, and Zane decorated the tree while I sat on the couch and occasionally moaned in pain. Sandy brought me comforting beverages and after enough of them you forget that your ankle hurts and feel all warm and glowing and festive.

























Mark, Sandy, and Brian decorate.

I like to look at the Holiday tree with the overhead lights off. So pretty. Especially after a couple of gin and tonics.
























Blurry tree, simulated head spins.

It is just as pretty in the daylight.

























Holiday tree with my toy trailer house from September 1968.

Brian made Angry Black Bitches' Creamy Corn Casserole and a lemony-yellow cake while I was making the Cranberry Duff and Lemon Curd. The lemony cake with lemony curd was very, very good, I was surprised at how moist and delicious it was. I made mac and cheese using pepperjack and cheddar cheeses, and that disappeared very fast (secret ingredient, a couple of tablespoons of mustard). Also vegetarian dressing in which frozen mangoes made a surprise appearance and I won Brian over on that one.

Forrest and Zane decorate cookies.

Guests arrived for the Holiday Party: Brian, John G., Matt, Shane, Kyle, Mark B., Ahmet, John, Peter, Panchesco, Hiram, David G., Jeffrey, Forrest, Mark M., Sandy, Zane, David B., Richard, Mark A., Jim, Chris, John H., Bob, Steve G., Steve N., Brian B., Cobban, and Ray. Did I miss anybody? Cookies were decorated and a few cards made. Someone made me a lovely Holiday Tree ornament- a big black 666. Every tree needs a big black 666.

























David G. and Brian make cards.

I forgot to take pictures and I tried to spend a little time with each guest, but also spent a lot of time sitting down trying not to aggravate the foot. I wish I had taken a picture of each of my handsome friends, but you'll have to trust me or look at Brian's blog when he posts pictures.

























Peter.

Sandy and Brian helped me clean up afterwards. I am thankful for such good friends. Now I am going to go sit on the couch with my friend, frozen peas and carrots.

Poor Puff, I was just very stern with him! He was trying to climb onto my shoulder while I was watching my Spanish bf Daniel Zueras on youtube and I really didn't want the scratch marks.






















Cookies baking.


Poor Jeffrey S. He came over to help me make gingerbread and sugar cookies and brought me a pair of crutches and got to see me weeping because my ankle is busy hurting so badly and the doctor won't be looking at it again until Monday. It is swollen and bruised and about twice a day the pain is so extreme that if I touch it I involuntarily scream. Sigh. Luckily, I have friends who are willing to drop everything and do little things for me. Brian is coming down from Phoenix tomorrow to help me get the Holiday tree and mop the floors.




























Brady and Jeffrey S.

Poor Brady- I called him and asked him to come over and help make cookies. However, I think he had a good time hanging out with Jeffrey S. and I.

Things not mentioned in the bible that aren't banned. Vanilla, parsnips, Austria, Pepto-Bismol, Lil Kim, movies, Gilligan's Island, keyboards, Ipods, gall bladders, Puff, Joey, Mama Cat, saguaro cacti, Sheryl Crow, Mormon magic underpants, Saturn, post-nasal drip, gorillas, celiac disease, the Jesuit Order, Tucson, flypaper, maple syrup, Patti LaBelle singing Moulin Rouge, armadillos, kangeroo meat, Michelle Obama, Lost, AM radio, testicular cancer, double penetration, ice skating, jumbo jets, the internet, California, pizza, gas stoves, tractors, Orangina, Eastenders, kitty litter, cotton candy, candy thermometers, suspension bridges, scuba gear, Jake Dakota, Daniel Zueras, hematomas, Secret deodorant, plasma tvs, North America, actresses portraying Anne Boleyn, blood type AB+, mohawks, Mike Huckabee, and my blog.

But gay marriage must be banned because it isn't mentioned in the bible.

Makes perfect fucking sense to me.

Times I have experienced extreme physical pain:

- after the hernia surgery in December 2004
- when I had plantar fasciitis in my right foot, a couple of years back, from kicking the shovel too much
- in 1999, when I broke my left little toe on the door frame
- before and after neck surgery in 1991
- the time my cousin Katie accidentally hit my forehead with a mallet while playing croquet in the mid-1970s
- when I sawed off the end of my thumb when I was five
- falling off my bike when I was seven, scraping the skin from much of my scrotum
- right now, what the fuck did I do to my right ankle?

Instead of buying gift cards for family members this year I am doing the following:

- donated cans of food to our company food drive
- bought toys and art kits to take to my neighborhood elementary school so some of the many poor kids who live in my neighborhood will get a present
- sent some cash to the food bank, apparently the shelves are pretty empty there
- sent some cash to the local HIV/AIDS groups

There are a lot of people who need the basics and I have am fortunate to be able to share.

I have bought two presents- one for Mummy from Sean's knitting store and another for a buddy.

Oh!

So the doctor said I have a "strained tibial ligament." I'm supposed to alternate soaking my right foot in hot water and icing it. It hurts. I whimper.

So I'm having my little Holiday cookie decorating party on Sunday and I'm thinking about what to serve the guests- I think Mac & Cheese, vegetarian stuffing (Brian liked it last year), Angry Black Bitch's Creamy Corn Casserole, and a couple of desserts- nothing too crazy.

This, of course, means I have to get everything cleaned up and dusted and furniture moved and cookies made and so on. Where's that houseboy when I need him?

My house is a complete disaster. The kitchen isn't finished- I can't climb up the ladder and paint. What was in the kitchen is stacked up in the dining room and study and what was in the study is on the kitchen table. Doug is finishing the cat bathroom- replacing and adding tile, attaching the faucets. After that he is moving into my bathroom and replacing the window, fan, drywall, and shower tile. We are thinking glass block wall for the shower. You'll definitely want to take a shower with me when it is finished.

Tomorrow I'm calling the doctor about the ankle. It hurts, isn't getting better (at least as far as I can tell), and I'm tired of people pointing at me and screaming, "Ohmigod, it's The Limper!!!" Say atheist prayers that they don't amputate my foot.

The weather continues to be really nice here- highs in the 60s. When I talk with my mother and she uses the word "blizzard" it takes me a moment to think past Dairy Queen and remember that sometimes this frozen water stuff falls from the sky and makes a big old mess. I well remember the Blizzard of 1974 when we had to hold hands while walking to the barn because the snow drifts were so fucking enormous and we took in a family for several days whose car ran off the road. We don't have storms like that in Tucson.

Singled Out? Dons Evans is the spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) Temple in Mesa, Arizona and he was "surprised it is being singled out by protesters. He says the [marriage] amendments were also supported by the Catholic church and various evangelical denominations."

This appears to be the tactic the Mormon Church has decided upon- try to divert attention onto other religious or racial groups while downplaying the role of the LDS Church in the anti-gay marriage amendments.

What Mr. Evans was surprised about was a peaceful protest that was held outside the Temple last Friday during the Mormon's annual Christmas display lighting. Somewhere between 150 and 200 supporters of gay marriage held signs that said "Peace" and "Acceptance."

So what is the truth about the LDS Church's involvement here in Arizona?

The Arizona Secretary of State has placed PDF files of the campaign filings for the pro-Amendment group, "Yes on 102" and the anti-Amendment groups "No on 102" and "Arizona Together." I examined the report filed for August 14, 2008 to September 22, 2008. It is very easy to search each file by keyword, so I searched for the words "Phoenix," "Tucson," and "Mesa." According to Wikipedia, the population of these three largest communities in Arizona in 2007 is as follows:

Phoenix- 1,552,259
Tucson- 525,529
Mesa- 452,933

Mesa is the location of the Mesa Arizona Temple, completed in 1919 and has a very high number Mormon population. It has been reported that LDS Church leaders asked members to contribute money and volunteer time to the anti-gay marriage amendment- although since I am not a member, I cannot confirm this directly.

However, it is relatively easy to examine a community's support for the Yes or No campaigns. Let's examine how many people/families/businesses in these three communities gave to the campaigns, using the filed reports:

Town- Pro Anti
Phoenix 138 125
Tucson 333 289
Mesa 739 4

Mesa has less than one-third the population of Phoenix and yet more than five times as many people contributed to the Yes campaign. And a total of four (four!) gave to the two No campaigns. Note the disparity with the numbers reported for Tucson, the second largest community in the state. The overall ratios of Anti/Pro contributors is close for Phoenix and Tucson (87 and 90) and is very different from Mesa (.05).

I am not a statistician, but there is clearly something different going on in Mesa.

I didn't bother to look at the actual dollar amounts per contribution, but according to the campaign filings, one Mesa family and a Mormon-owned business based in Phoenix gave $100,000 each to the Yes campaign (as did the Crisis Pregnancy Center, although how gay marriage and crisis pregnancies relate to each other is very confusing to me).

And LDS spokesman Don Evans, who was so "surprised" that people would be protesting outside his Temple, he gave $10,000 cash to the Yes campaign.

So should Don Evans be so surprised? I don't think so. It is very clear to me that the LDS Church in Arizona had a major role, if not The Major Role, is fundraising for the anti-gay marriage amendment here in Arizona, despite whatever the leaders of that church claim.

Nobody likes a whiner, but I am officially whining. I sprained my right ankle on the elliptical machine on Saturday or Sunday and holy crap, I am limping around and in horrible pain. Today was particularly bad- I had to go out to the dig site to watch as they pulled up three tree trunks, and walking over the rough dirt made things ache even more. Okay, that's enough whining.

I forgot the Grinch yesterday, but I had had three glasses of red wine while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and I was just a tad out of it. Rudolph is, of course, my favorite Holiday show, followed closely by the Grinch. I like the Charlie Brown music, but that's about it for that one. Frosty always freaks me out a little. The Little Drummer Boy isn't shown anymore, but I always liked that song when I was a kid.

And in other news, plaster work is done in the kitchen. Yellow paint on Saturday, maybe the cream-colored trim too (depends on whether I can hobble around or not).

What is the best Holiday special?

A). Frosty the Snowman.
B) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
C). The Little Drummer Boy.
D). Charlie Brown's Christmas.

My favorite? I'll let you know.

So I've decided to have Homer's Midlife Crisis. So far this has involved:

- growing my hair longer for one last time.
- going to the gym to lose 20 pounds (13 more to go).
- repainting my kitchen the same colors.
- eating healthier
- learning how to cook Indian food. This has been made easier by watching Manjula cook. My favorite part is at the end when she says whatever she makes "smells yummy!"

For a midlife crisis, I guess these are pretty lame things to be doing. No new car- (I may fix my bike's tires instead), no 21-year-old trophy boyfriend (not that I wasn't asked out by a 21-year-old recently). I am just too practical.

Any suggestions for other things I should be doing?

Buddy and Orry and I went to the Presidio Park as I gave them a whirlwind tour of Tucson history.



















Buddy, Orry, and Homer.

They got to see my messy house, I have been slow at getting the kitchen done. I spent some time going through my closets to find my Holiday stuff. I found the big lights and strung them up on the porch.




















Pretty lights.

Twisted my ankle at the gym this morning. Ouch! I am hobbling around and feeling sorry for myself.

Thanksgiving 2008 was very relaxing and fun, except I ate too much and my stomach ached for a while. I made a white cake with cranberry-cherry filling and white chocolate buttercream frosting. The cake part was a bit dry, but it was still very good. I also made Angry Black Bitch's Corn Casserole. Yum!



















The Cake.

While the cake was cooling I went to the gym and did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. I was a ball of sweat afterwards. I think I am having my midlife crisis, which involves losing weight and getting fit. Less expensive than hair transplants and a sports car.

Afterwards Sandy and I journeyed through the rain (we are getting the remnants of a hurricane) to Steve's house and ate too much.




















Sandy and Steve and the Roast Tofurkey.

Sandy's cranberry sauce, with Indian seasonings, was my favorite.

We watched some telly and played games and Brian came over and we played more games and watched more telly and when I got home I climbed into bed with the cats and was thankful for them and my friends and lots of other stuff.

Look at the camera Joey! She does not take photo direction very well, basically because she is looking at that delicious blade of grass that she really, really wants to eat- fully knowing that she'll barf it up in a little while.


























Homer and Joey.

So ready for my fridge to be fixed. I feel so 19th century at the moment (I should build an ice house in the backyard!). I wonder if the repairperson will be a handsome redhead who will propose marriage and we will fly a budget airline to Connecticut and get hitched and then I will live a life free of appliance worry! Ummm, not likely to happen, but one can always hope.

Puzzling over what to make for Thanksgiving meal. Sandy, Steve, and Brian and I are going masticate together. That should be fun, perhaps we will play games afterwards. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday (turkey! gravy! stuffing inside turkey!), but this year I am looking forward to it since I'll be hanging out with my friends.

We are having Indian food for the Amazing Race viewing tonight. I made a parsnip-onion-carrot-potato curry using Madras Curry Paste. I went to the Indian food store and wandered around, so many unusual things. I asked the clerk if he knew of any Indian cooking classes here in Tucson and he told me no, but that there were a lot of videos on Youtube, and he was right.





















Curry.

I am going to make Saag paneer first, once my fridge gets fixed.

Sandy and Puff.

Sandy came by for a visit and Mama Cat enjoyed the attention the most.

So I vacuumed under the fridge in preparation for painting the kitchen (trying to get all the cat hair so it wouldn't stick in the paint). And afterwards there was this funny smell and finally I went and got Sandy and asked him if he could smell it. He described it as an electrical burning smell. My sense of smell isn't so great.

So a little while later smoke started coming out of back side of the fridge so I pulled the plug. I called the fix-it number for Sears, spoke to "Jerry" in India, and the repair man will be coming Wednesday morning. He better be hot. Sandy is babysitting foodstuffs and I feel Amish, except my Amish brother has a gasoline-powered fridge that he gets to use because his Amish group is a little more progressive about some things, preferring to live in 1920 instead of 1850.

What dessert did your family have at Thanksgiving?

We always had store bought pumpkin and apple or cherry pies with Cool Whip. The Sarah Lee pie factory, where my brother-in-law has worked since 1977, was in Traverse City and so all of the pies were local.

I went to the barbershop for the third time in four years today. It was either that or buzz everything off. But Paul owns his shop and I thought I would patronize it. He did a good job and his Mom Pam insisted on covering my hands with various lotions and smelling things. I had forgotten what a nice woman she is.
























After the gym.

So the aerobic stuff and the diet will be alright, but it has been a long time since I lifted weights and I feel totally inadequate in terms of posture and how much and how many and the right loud grunts and squirrelly faces to make, so I may have to hire a trainer when that consulting check comes in so I can do things right. As I told Forrest, no one wants to date in this town, so might as well waste the time at the gym doing something productive rather than sitting at home alone with the cats eating bonbons and Girl Scout cookies.

At the gym I spent 45 minutes on the eliptical machine, trying not to look at the clock, just trudging on and on. The machine claimed I had burned 560 calories when I was done but I am skeptical.

The scale says I weigh 215 or so pounds and according to the BMI thingy on the intertubes, I should weigh 195. Who knows what to believe, I just know that I'm out of shape and I'm not getting any younger or prettier, so I'm back to the gym and watching what I eat. That's supposed to work and tomorrow I will be skinny again and I can wear that one shirt that I have been wanting to wear for a while but is a bit too tight across the shoulders.

Today was International Melancholy Day, at least that's what I was busy celebrating, for various reasons.

Can you smell the double chocolate brownies? I just took them out of the oven. They were more successful than the egg noodles that I made with the pasta attachment on my KitchenAid. I've got to figure out how to keep those egg noodles from sticking together when they come out of the extruder.

So now that we've had our Big National Day O' Protest, what's next?

























Puff hates the papparrazzi.

For those who live in Arizona and are interested in whether your neighbors gave to the "Yes on 102" campaign, this lovely file [now with corrected link!] (a legal document that is posted by the State of Arizona!) lists Bigoted-American contributions for part of the election cycle. Among the 15 people in my zipcode are Chad and Wendi Lee Anderson, one of whom is an Electrical Engineer for Raytheon Missile Systems here in Tucson. They gave $5,000 dollars! Cash! They are much, much more concerned about who I might marry than I am about their marriage.

Fuck, I wish I had that kind of money just sitting around. But I would rather flush it down the toilet than waste it like these people did. According to the Interwebs, Chad is in his late-50s. That is probably young enough for him to see Homo Marriage legalized in Arizona, since no civil rights movement has EVER BEEN DENIED! LOL! I certainly hope that event doesn't destroy his marriage. 'Cause that would suck! Since I am pretty sure that once homo marriage is legal every single Bigoted-American marriage will end in divorce as all of those guys discover the delights of man-on-man (and sometimes another man) butt-sex and the gals, as they are being all Lebanese or Lesbionic or whatever, shout out, "So that's what an orgasm feels like!!! And I wasted all of those years being a Bigoted-American!" Of course, gay friendly straight couples will not have this problem at all!


Changing the subject from such sour, negative topics, my 9th Annual Holiday Party is December 14th. This year: Cookie Decorating, Card Making, and Pipe Cleaner Ornaments. I'm going to ask guests to bring a toy to give to a child. I'm hoping to have my kitchen re-painted before that non-denominational event.

Two protests in two days. Tucson held its protest last night to coincide with the unveiling of a new ad campaign highlighting gay families.




















The crowd in Tucson.

Unfortunately, downtown Tucson is sooooo dead at 5 PM and we marched from one enclosed, invisible space across a bridge with high walls to another enclosed, invisible place. I'm guessing 400 or 500 people attended. I was especially pleased to see a straight co-worker (Hi Stacy!) there with her young son. She doesn't know how much I appreciate her support.




















Lyle, Sandy, David G., and Chris.

While we waited next to the Pima County Courthouse we could hear them calling out numbers, "43!," as a Justice of the Peace married straight couples. "44!" It was ironic that they had an assembly line of marriages that those of us gathered nearby cannot experience because 56 percent of Arizona voters are bigots. "53!" A few couples and their families wandered out and were a bit astounded at the sight of so many gays and lesbians and straight friends holding signs.


























Elliot is no longer being nice!

I called Brian last night and alerted him that I was thinking of coming up to Phoenix for their protest. He was excited when he called me this morning as I was driving north (gas is $2.19 a gallon now!) listening to the Avett Brothers on my Ipod (they are so excellent, I thank Chas for introducing them to me). I really wanted to stop at the ostrich farm, but no time for that.

























A beautiful sign held by a beautiful person.

A much larger crowd in Phoenix, gathered in front of the City Hall. I'm guessing perhaps 2,000 people of all ages, colors, straight and gay. Quite a few children. Speeches and music. People need to speak up and talk directly into the microphone, pretty please.

In front of the Phoenix City Hall.

I ran into Frank and former blogger Chris and then a very good friend, Gregg, that I haven't seen since 2003 or 2004. It was really nice to spend a moment or two with these people.

Gregg and Homer.

Afterwards we marched to the State Capitol and I wished I had brought along some water because darn if it wasn't very hot in Phoenix.
























Brian at the Arizona State Capitol.

Brian and I celebrated by eating pizza and french fries afterwards. On the drive back to Tucson I listened to the Avett Brothers and sang along, offkey, of course.

I read about Viola and Dolly a year ago. Two older women in Milbridge, Maine who are among the millions of poor Americans struggling to make ends meet. I listened to their voices and afterwards I sat down and wrote them cards and sent along some cash, hoping to brighten their lives a little.

Today I came across the blog entry that mentioned them. I checked the Social Security Death Index (I know, I know, just wanted to make sure they were still living), and made them another set of cards. I'll mail them off with some cash- I hope they enjoy the unexpected present.

It used to be illegal for a Chinese person to marry a Caucasian (including Mexican) person in Arizona. Marriage was also restricted for ‘Negroes," "Mongolians," "Malays,""Hindus," and Native Americans. These laws were first passed in 1865 and were periodically strengthened until 1956. The Arizona Supreme Court overturned the statute in 1962.





















Soy sauce jug with original clay stopper.

The first Chinese man, Hop Kee, came to Tucson in either 1873 or 1874. Over the next few years a trickle of other immigrants moved to the community- mostly men, a handful of women, and a few boys. They worked in several restaurants, serving American-style food to the many single Anglo and Mexican men moving to Tucson in search of economic opportunities. The local newspapers looked suspiciously at the Chinese, sometimes printing humorous stories about their attempts to speak English or commenting upon their lack of assimilation.





















Four Seasons pattern bowl, made by Chen.

The Southern Pacific Railroad was constructed through Tucson in early 1880, running eastward from Yuma on its way to El Paso. Over a thousand Chinese men leveled the ground, built the berm, and laid tracks for the railroad. Southern Pacific hired them because they were hard-working, dependable, and demanded less wages than Mexican or Anglo workers.

















Opium pipe made in Guangzhou by someone named Lim.


Once the railroad reached Tucson, about 400 men remained behind. They took up jobs in restaurants as cooks and waiters, opened stores, worked in the homes of the wealthy as private servants, grew produce that they sold door-to-door, or washed clothes along the irrigation canals west of town.










Broken bone opium pipe cleaner marked "JAPAN."

The influx of Chinese alarmed people throughout the United States, but particularly in western States. The Chinese men worked for less money and sent money back to China to their families instead of circulating it in local economies. They maintained their traditional culture- eating exotic, imported foods; smoking opium; wore Chinese clothing and hairstyles; participated in noisy, exhuberant celebrations at Chinese New Years or at funerals. Tensions between Mexican-Americans and the Chinese were particularly acute- both were at the bottom of the economic ladder, struggling to succeed. Violence was common between these groups, often taking place in the Chinese-owned general stores that the Mexican population relied upon for groceries, the Mexicans resenting the economic power they perceived the Chinese to have.
























Four glass medicine bottles made by the "Hall of Longevity" firm. These contained "nose smoking" medicines that were held up to the nose and sniffed.

Life was not easy for the Chinese immigrants who came to Tucson. They worked hard, mostly obeyed the laws, paid their taxes, a few became naturalized citizens and voted. And yet these men were constantly discriminated against.

Bean cake jar marked, in Chinese characters, "Greater San Francisco" and "Abundance [the factory name]."

By the 1920s, there were several small compounds in downtown Tucson where aging, single Chinese men lived. The last died in the 1950s or 1960s, any dreams they had had of having wives and families dashed by the miscegenation and immigration laws passed by the Federal and Arizona state governments.

Perhaps I am greedy, but I do not want to wait 97 years (the length of time between the start and end of miscegenation laws ) for gay marriage to be legalized.

Isn't it strange how history repeats itself?

The artifacts are from a Chinese laundry that operated in the early 1900s in downtown Tucson. I had the characters translated by a Chinese historian today.

So sorry to have hurt peoples' feelings.

Gerard says I am "sour, hateful" and "negative and hateful."

That about sums up things lately. Sure, I could write about flowers and cats and baking pies and the like. But we are living in a time of struggle between reason and irrationality. At the moment, irrationality has the upper hand on civil rights that affect me and my friends every day. As my co-worker said to me yesterday, "Hello second class citizen!"

So what am I supposed to do? I could do nothing. I could feign politeness ("Please sir, don't put up that awful sign!" Turn the other cheek when someone tells me homosexuality equals murder. Not be the least bit shocked that people in my community are giving money to anti-gay causes.

I guess I should just shut up and not say anything because I might project the image of an angry faggot.

Unfortunately, I am very angry right now. 56 percent of the voters in Arizona voted to place a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage into the Arizona Constitution. Why shouldn't I be angry at organized religion? The sign I pulled out that sits in my closet, waiting for me to take to the Historical Society, states that it was paid for by the Pete King Corporation (Mormon), Focus on the Family Action (Protestant), United Families International (apparently Christian), and the Center for Arizona Policy (Christian).

So why shouldn't I be sour and hateful towards religion? And why shouldn't I point out that people in my community are actively contributing money to these hateful campaigns? When you contribute money to a political cause you are required to provide your name, address, occupation, and employer. It is public record. If people don't want this information known, they should refrain from contributing or give to their church and let them spread the hate instead.

And if you read my blog because I am "hunky" but don't want to listen to my views on current events, religion, and politics- well sorry to tell you but I am a complex person who just happens to have opinions and right now I am expressing them.

The following residents of Tucson, Arizona contributed to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.

- Helen Moulton, a Christian homemaker, gave $35

- Paul Chamberlain, a Disabled Student Resource counseler at Pima Community College, gave $450

- Bruce Ekholt, a teacher at the Siatech Charter High School, gave $100

- Tyler Mott, a personal banker at Wells Fargo Bank, also gave $100

I wonder what their friends, co-workers, family, students, or clients would think if they knew these four people used their money to help take away the right to marry from their fellow tax-paying Americans? Well thanks to Google, they just may find out (my blog usually comes up very high in Google searches). I used Google to find a few extra facts about each person, so easy to do nowadays.

A database created by the San Francisco Chronicle lists donors for both sides of the Proposition. The database is not up-to-date. My $100 contribution for the No campaign isn't listed, neither is the money given by two of my friends. I wish someone would do a similar database for Arizona so I could find out who the haters were.

These four people gave a total of $685. I was pleased to see that they were outnumbered by the 34 Tucson residents who gave $6,285 to the No on Proposition 8 campaign.

Why not take a look and post the names of the people who Gave-To-Hate on your blog?

Some recent happenings.


- went to Lust in the Dust with Sandy. Tab Hunter was there and spent an hour on stage being interviewed about his film career. At age 77, he is very handsome! And seems like a nice guy, he literally didn't say a bad thing about anyone. It was nice to see Jim and his handsome bf Chris there.


- This morning I made waffles and hashbrowns and caramelized bananas for breakfast and invited Sandy over. I still feel bloated.


- I am a tad irritated by pacifist gays who say that the activist gays should be all nice and not offend the bigots. So sorry, I'm done being nice. Over it. They got their say, voted down equal rights in Arizona. Now it is my turn to expose them for the bottom feeding, blood sucking, scum that they are. If that means confronting them in person, I will do so (and have done so). I am not going to sit around while the Mormons, Catholic Church, Focus on the Family, and Cathy Herrod (rot in fucking hell bitch) dictate how I am supposed to live my life.



- Brian has posted his pictures from All Souls Day Procession. I made Brian a banana cream pie and it was delicious in every conceivable way.

All Soul's Day Procession, 2008.

Brian came down from Phoenix and Sandy came from the guest house and we made tombstones to carry in the Procession. Each one was about the loss of rights because of last week's election.




















Homer, Sandy, and Brian.

We stood along the route as the huge number of people went by. Many people took pictures of our signs and shouted words of encouragement. Towards the end we joined the procession and more people did the same. One old geezer told me he voted for the amendment. Well, I'm glad he was honest about it. For many people it was probably one of the few times they got to see a real live homo in person.

Brian and Sandy will have lots more pictures. It is truly an amazing event- this year the crowds were huge, the costumes elaborate, the altars decorated with pictures of the dead. I was very, very pleased by how many people who told me that gay rights were not dead, but merely waited to rise again. Zombie Gay Rights!!!