Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Love and action

Apparently I was really inspired this weekend (despite ending two sentences in one paragraph with the word "anyhow" *wince*), and I'm glad y'all enjoyed it. I didn't mean to make anyone cry! But if they're good tears, I'm okay with that. Like Dolly Parton said, "laughing through tears is my favorite emotion."

It's good to know I'm not the only one who sneaks food into the movies! St. Tropez Butler reminded me that I am a girl (and can therefore carry a purse). Funny how amid the complaints about sexism, I inadvertently demonstrated an advantage to being female in our society. That ought to be part of the conversation, too. But as Jon-Marc points out, in an urban area where nobody drives, men can carry bags, too.

One of the things that makes me and L'Ailee's relationship work is that we take time to discuss things. I seem to bring out the desire to talk deeply in L'Ailee--I don't know how or why, I just know I'm glad to do it. I love that we can use something as simple as a blockbuster movie or a commercial as a springboard for a good discussion. I love that we can talk in the bath. (Yes! We still bathe together, almost every morning! And just to show that we aren't always deep, we have a bath SpongeBob, and often joke about why he always looks so happy. :-)

Not much is going on with me this week. I have a headache, probably induced by work. It's been boring but busy again. L'Ailee finally convinced me that my upper arms are all right. Just to show how supportive-yet-blunt she can be, her statement was, "Everything's all right but your stomach. Cover that up, but you should show your arms and everything else. And nothing too tight." It's a bit hard for me to take statements that aren't complete and total flattery from a lover, but she's also a friend, and the most truthful one I've got. Truth can go both ways, too--I can tell her that the full skirt looks like it's swallowing her up or tactfully remind her that her A-cups may not hold that strapless up. The trouble is, because I brown up under *any* light, including fluorescent, and am insecure about my upper arms, I have such a bad farmer's tan that my arms look like two different races above and below the elbow! I'll listen to any and all recommendations for self-tanners, especially since I got a strapless dress (no worries about my C-cups holding it up!) in order to serve as a co-matron of honor for The Wedding in France. I'm grateful that's the kind of problem I have to deal with at the moment.

I've got other stuff to think about, too. The first couple weeks of June are weighing heavy on my mind, of course, with the Federal Marriage Amendment vote. And then there's...

Roy Moore, the Ten Commandments judge, may not become governor of Alabama after all! I've got family there. The parents are very much for him, the kids are very much against him and are voting in their first election this year.

But every religious belief can harbor theocrats, as these Nepalese are demonstrating.

WalMart may not be entirely evil!

We've all heard rumors of rainbow parties and middle-school girls giving hummers. But maybe, just maybe, the girls are all right.

We're also hearing scary things about scary people on MySpace. And that *is* true! For instance, the Burger King has a profile. Ewww!!!

And then there is Love In Action/Refuge, or as many LGBT and supportive people came to call them last year, LIA/R. (You can read a recap of events here. Basically, they are a ministry that uses draconian means in an attempt to turn gay and bi people of all ages straight.) They are now presenting themselves as A Safe Place, trying to sound kid-friendly and scare adults into sending their kids there. They put up a MySpace blog yesterday. Today, several people, including myself, commented on it. (I may have gotten pissed at their doublespeak about just wanting to give kids options and, um, said something about their being "internet predators" who play on parents' fears, cut LGBT kids off from anyone or anything who may make them feel okay about themselves, and force them to drastically change their appearances and media diet.) For some reason, they took down the MySpace a few hours after word got out! I don't believe in censorship. It wasn't my goal to get them kicked off or make them take their ball and go home. However, there are no tears running down my face.

A tip of the pen to Peterson Toscano, who posted about that last bit on his blog. He survived LIA and somehow became an extremely cool person anyhow. I hope the kids forced there--and the adults who sentence themselves to their live-in program--can all do the same.

And finally, no matter how American Idol ends tonight: SOUL PATROL SOUL PATROL SOUL PATROL!

7 comments:

Liadan said...

I think what gets me is "no non-explicitly-Christian classical music." For example, Bach.

WTF? Bach wrote CHURCH MUSIC. How much more explicitly Christian can you get without it just being an endless loop of Handel's Messiah?

Zoe said...

We had to stop showering together in the morning, it was too counter productive to being able to leave the house on time. Now when there's no rush, whole different story.

sjobs said...

I was so happy with the soul patrol and his victory.....

M

Dr. Deb said...

I thought Taylor did great. I don't watch reality tv, but AI got me this time!

BostonPobble said...

The Pobble Mobile is an un-airconditioned jeep wrangler. By mid-June, my left arm looks as if it belongs on a totally different body. My favorite self-tanner-don't-look-like-I've-gotten-an-arm-transplant is Coppertone Foam.

Plus, if the right person helps, it can be fun. :)

sttropezbutler said...

My of My. The things you learn reading a blog!

Hope you two are having a fab weekend!

STB

sttropezbutler said...

That should read:

My OH MY!

LOL

STB