Off we go as a gaggle of gay gooses to see Celine Dion tonight! Don't judge, the ticket was free!!! Not that I'm not a little bit excited! ;-)
A little something to get you in the Christmas spirit. I hope she sings this tonight!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Gov Palin afraid of the Press
Governor Sarah Palin has refused to be interviewed by the media in any form since she was picked by John McCain to be his Veep. It seems as though campaign staffers feel the media would be asking questions that are too tough and would dive into her personal life. Newsflash! She's running for Vice-President of the United States, of course they are going to ask tough questions, as well they should! Maybe if she was a leader that was prepared for the role and actually had the experience to back up her claims of accomplishment she wouldn't have a problem facing the media.
What is really appalling is the fact that she spewed allegations, and flat out lies against Senator Obama and his experience, and now is too afraid to face the media for questions against her record. Don't dish it if you can't take it!
I especially like how Palin and the rest of the RNC Speakers set out to attack community organizers. I guess organizations like the United Way, the American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity have no real impact on our communities. Ironically, Palin notes that the being on the PTA (which I would consider a community organization) led her to running for larger offices.
Palin has finally agreed to sit down with ABC's Gibson for her first interview later this week. This should be interested.
The following was taken from msnbc.com
To view the full article go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26604717
What is really appalling is the fact that she spewed allegations, and flat out lies against Senator Obama and his experience, and now is too afraid to face the media for questions against her record. Don't dish it if you can't take it!
I especially like how Palin and the rest of the RNC Speakers set out to attack community organizers. I guess organizations like the United Way, the American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity have no real impact on our communities. Ironically, Palin notes that the being on the PTA (which I would consider a community organization) led her to running for larger offices.
Palin has finally agreed to sit down with ABC's Gibson for her first interview later this week. This should be interested.
The following was taken from msnbc.com
Palin, who has shunned answering questions from journalists so far, faces a major test this week when she gives her first nationally televised interview after a week of intense press scrutiny into assertions she brings virtually no international experience to the ticket and has exaggerated her reformer credentials.
McCain's campaign has lashed out at coverage of Palin and her family, while Democrats have questioned why the candidate has not been put directly before reporters to answer questions.
McCain campaign manager Rick Davis earlier complained that the media has focused too much on 44-year-old Palin's personal life. Many of those stories came after McCain's campaign announced that Palin's unwed 17-year-old daughter was pregnant.
"Why would we want to throw Sarah Palin into a cycle of piranhas called the news media that have nothing better to ask questions about than her personal life and her children?" Davis said on Fox television. "So until at which point in time we feel like the news media is going to treat her with some level of respect and deference, I think it would be foolhardy to put her out into that kind of environment."
To view the full article go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26604717
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Governor of Alaska or Karen Walker?
I know I'm not the only one who has noticed that Gov. Sarah Palin looks just like Karen Walker (Megan Mullaly) of Will & Grace. Maybe... MAYBE if her and Senator McCain stomach bump tonight after his RNC acceptance speach I will consider voting for them...
Naaaaaaaah Probably not!!!
Palin's Speech - Fact or Fiction
Well I will give Sarah Palin kudos for delivering a great speach. Too bad there wasn't much truth to it... Here's a little fact checking from the Associated Press
Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."
PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.
MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.
___
Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.
Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:
PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."
PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.
PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.
MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.
MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.
FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.
___
Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha gonna do?
Janet and Lisa - Prepare the scoreboard... I might just win this one!
‘COPS’ TV crews riding along with MPD
Two film crews from the television show “COPS” have been riding with Minneapolis SWAT Team officers on both the north and south sides since July 29. The crews are here for approximately 8 to 10 weeks.
“COPS” has been trying to return to Minneapolis since it aired a program featuring Minneapolis in 1990.
Minneapolis was also recently featured on A & E’s reality show, “THE FIRST 48.” In May, A & E aired a program showcasing Minneapolis homicide detectives working to solve the 2007 murder of a woman found strangled in a partially burned car.
Aug. 21, 2008
‘COPS’ TV crews riding along with MPD
Two film crews from the television show “COPS” have been riding with Minneapolis SWAT Team officers on both the north and south sides since July 29. The crews are here for approximately 8 to 10 weeks.
“COPS” has been trying to return to Minneapolis since it aired a program featuring Minneapolis in 1990.
Minneapolis was also recently featured on A & E’s reality show, “THE FIRST 48.” In May, A & E aired a program showcasing Minneapolis homicide detectives working to solve the 2007 murder of a woman found strangled in a partially burned car.
Aug. 21, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Finding Inner Peace
I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and we all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple advice I heard on a Medical TV show, I have finally found inner peace. A Doctor proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I'd started and hadn't finished and, before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of shhhardonay, a bodle of Baileys, a butle of vocka, a pockage of Prunglies , tha mainder of bot Prozic and Valum scriptins, the res of the Chesescke an a box a chocolets.Yu haf no idr ha gud I fel. Peas sen dis orn to who yu fee ar in ned ov inr pece.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Thought of the Day
You know you live in Minnesota when the work cafeteria is serving "Cheeseburger Hotdish" for lunch.
New Campaign Video from JibJab
I love their videos and was excited to see the new one is out for Campaign 2008! Its nice to enjoy some humor about it. About half of my week is dedicated to Campaign 2008... woohoo! I fear that it will only take more of my life as we push to the end of August.
Can we just vote already???
Can we just vote already???
Monday, July 14, 2008
She Done Left It All Behind!
Do you ever get the feeling that you are speeding ahead at 100 miles/minute and yet when you stop for a second you feel like you are in the exact same place as when you started? I don't know that it's quite like running in circles. It's more like running with one of those elastic bands tied to your back. Worse yet, like seeming in one of those stupid pools where the water moves and you don't. The treadmill for lap swimming!
I feel as though one moment I can sit and reflect and be so happy with my accomplishments. See where I've been, where I am now, and what's coming up. Sometimes you have to stop and look at what mountains you've climbed to be truly stunned by what you can accomplish. I definitely have those moments. But then there's other times where I feel like I have been sitting in the same place for the past 6-8 years. No movement, no change, just 'stasis'. I see friends flying by me, accomplishing dreams, fulfilling hopes and moving into the next stages of their lives.
Maybe that's the joy of being in your late 20's. It's one of those life-stage changing moments. People are getting married, having kids, traversing around the country for new careers. I feel like so many of my friends are passing me by, though I'm sure many of my friends look at me and think the same thing. Maybe its just that "keeping up with the Jones' " mentality.
Back to that lovely lap-swimming treadmill. When I look at the odometer, I see that I've swam the width of the Atlantic Ocean, but yet, I'm still in the same damn tub!
Quote of the day: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift!
I feel as though one moment I can sit and reflect and be so happy with my accomplishments. See where I've been, where I am now, and what's coming up. Sometimes you have to stop and look at what mountains you've climbed to be truly stunned by what you can accomplish. I definitely have those moments. But then there's other times where I feel like I have been sitting in the same place for the past 6-8 years. No movement, no change, just 'stasis'. I see friends flying by me, accomplishing dreams, fulfilling hopes and moving into the next stages of their lives.
Maybe that's the joy of being in your late 20's. It's one of those life-stage changing moments. People are getting married, having kids, traversing around the country for new careers. I feel like so many of my friends are passing me by, though I'm sure many of my friends look at me and think the same thing. Maybe its just that "keeping up with the Jones' " mentality.
Back to that lovely lap-swimming treadmill. When I look at the odometer, I see that I've swam the width of the Atlantic Ocean, but yet, I'm still in the same damn tub!
Quote of the day: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift!
Friday, July 11, 2008
For Hire
So it's been a long time since I last blogged and I want to get back into it now that I am finally past that all consuming event called Pride. Lots to talk about in retrospect to that (It was a great year, and I need to brag for my sake and my teams! ;-) But that will come later.
I need to make some extra cash. Pay off a few more bills and maybe start stashing some away for a big trip. Any ideas?? I'd love to find a couple small events to actually contract my services for, but in the mean time, am looking at all options! Sometimes its nice to have a PT job that requires less than maximum brain capacity!
Happy summer all!
I need to make some extra cash. Pay off a few more bills and maybe start stashing some away for a big trip. Any ideas?? I'd love to find a couple small events to actually contract my services for, but in the mean time, am looking at all options! Sometimes its nice to have a PT job that requires less than maximum brain capacity!
Happy summer all!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
California's top court overturns gay marriage ban
It just got a bit sunnier in CA!
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot.
Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in striking down the ban.
Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as the news spread.
Jeanie Rizzo, one of the plaintiffs, called Pali Cooper, her partner of 19 years, and asked, "Pali, will you marry me?"
"This is a very historic day. This is just such freedom for us," Rizzo said. "This is a message that says all of us are entitled to human dignity."
In the Castro, historically a center of the gay community in San Francisco, Tim Oviatt started crying while watching the news on TV.
"I've been waiting for this all my life," he said. "This is a life-affirming moment."
The city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples and gay rights groups sued in March 2004 after the court halted the monthlong wedding march that took place when Mayor Gavin Newsom opened the doors of City Hall to same-sex marriages.
"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody — not just in the state of California, but throughout the country — will have equal treatment under the law," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco.
The challenge for gay rights advocates, however, is not over.
A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution.
The Secretary of State is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signatures to qualify the marriage amendment, similar to ones enacted in 26 other states.
If voters pass the measure in November, it would trump the court's decision.
California already offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners the same legal rights and responsibilities as married spouses, including the right to divorce and to sue for child support.
But, "Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ron George wrote for the court's majority, which also included Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Werdegar and Carlos Moreno.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Marvin Baxter agreed with many arguments of the majority but said the court overstepped its authority. Changes to marriage laws should be decided by the voters, Baxter wrote. Justices Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan also dissented.
The conservative Alliance Defense Fund says it plans to ask the justices for a stay of their decision until after the fall election, said Glen Lavey, senior counsel for the group.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed legislation that would've granted marriage rights to same-sex couples, said in a news release that he respected the court's decision and "will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."
___
Associated Press writers Terence Chea, Jason Dearen, Juliana Barbassa and Evelyn Nieves contributed to this report.
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot.
Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in striking down the ban.
Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as the news spread.
Jeanie Rizzo, one of the plaintiffs, called Pali Cooper, her partner of 19 years, and asked, "Pali, will you marry me?"
"This is a very historic day. This is just such freedom for us," Rizzo said. "This is a message that says all of us are entitled to human dignity."
In the Castro, historically a center of the gay community in San Francisco, Tim Oviatt started crying while watching the news on TV.
"I've been waiting for this all my life," he said. "This is a life-affirming moment."
The city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples and gay rights groups sued in March 2004 after the court halted the monthlong wedding march that took place when Mayor Gavin Newsom opened the doors of City Hall to same-sex marriages.
"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody — not just in the state of California, but throughout the country — will have equal treatment under the law," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco.
The challenge for gay rights advocates, however, is not over.
A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution.
The Secretary of State is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signatures to qualify the marriage amendment, similar to ones enacted in 26 other states.
If voters pass the measure in November, it would trump the court's decision.
California already offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners the same legal rights and responsibilities as married spouses, including the right to divorce and to sue for child support.
But, "Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ron George wrote for the court's majority, which also included Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Werdegar and Carlos Moreno.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Marvin Baxter agreed with many arguments of the majority but said the court overstepped its authority. Changes to marriage laws should be decided by the voters, Baxter wrote. Justices Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan also dissented.
The conservative Alliance Defense Fund says it plans to ask the justices for a stay of their decision until after the fall election, said Glen Lavey, senior counsel for the group.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed legislation that would've granted marriage rights to same-sex couples, said in a news release that he respected the court's decision and "will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling."
___
Associated Press writers Terence Chea, Jason Dearen, Juliana Barbassa and Evelyn Nieves contributed to this report.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Interesting Conversation on Bullying
There's quite the interesting (albeit long winded) discussion going on right now on the Star Tribune's website. All sparked by what I deem to be a very ignorant OpEd piece.
Feel free to read the column and corresponding comments at http://ww3.startribune.com/kerstenblog/?p=430.
And for the record, there were a few slams on how many city ordinances that the Pride Parade and Festival break during the events. I'd just like to state for the record that we follow and enforce the same laws as everyone else is required to. So :-P
Finally, someone posted this letter that a mother wrote back in 2000 in response to several anti-gay comments coming out in Vermont.
Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a gay son and I’ve taken enough from you good people.
I’m tired of your foolish rhetoric about the “homosexual agenda” and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant. You have been robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny. My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade. He was physically and verbally abused from first grade straight through high school because he was perceived to be gay. He never professed to be gay or had any association with anything gay, but he had the misfortune not to walk or have gestures like the other boys. He was called “fag” incessantly, starting when he was 6.
In high school, while your children were doing what kids that age should be doing, mine labored over a suicide note, drafting and redrafting it to be sure his family knew how much he loved them. My sobbing 17-year-old tore the heart out of me as he choked out that he just couldn’t bear to continue living any longer, that he didn’t want to be gay and that he couldn’t face a life without dignity.
You have the audacity to talk about protecting families and children from the homosexual menace, while you yourselves tear apart families and drive children to despair. I don’t know why my son is gay, but I do know that God didn’t put him, and millions like him, on this Earth to give you someone to abuse. God gave you brains so that you could think, and it’s about time you started doing that.
At the core of all your misguided beliefs is the belief that this could never happen to you, that there is some kind of subculture out there that people have chosen to join. The fact is that if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours, and you won’t get to choose. Whether it is genetic or whether something occurs during a critical time of fetal development, I don’t know. I can only tell you with an absolute certainty that it is inborn.
If you want to tout your own morality, you’d best come up with something more substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to you. If you disagree, I would be interested in hearing your story, because my own heterosexuality was a blessing I received with no effort whatsoever on my part. It is so woven into the very soul of me that nothing could ever change it. For those of you who reduce sexual orientation to a simple choice, a character issue, a bad habit or something that can be changed by a 10-step program, I’m puzzled. Are you saying that your own sexual orientation is nothing more than something you have chosen, that you could change it at will? If that’s not the case, then why would you suggest that someone else can?
A popular theme in your letters is that Vermont has been infiltrated by outsiders. Both sides of my family have lived in Vermont for generations. I am heart and soul a Vermonter, so I’ll thank you to stop saying that you are speaking for “true Vermonters.”
You invoke the memory of the brave people who have fought on the battlefield for this great country, saying that they didn’t give their lives so that the “homosexual agenda” could tear down the principles they died defending. My 83-year-old father fought in some of the most horrific battles of World War II, was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.
He shakes his head in sadness at the life his grandson has had to live. He says he fought alongside homosexuals in those battles, that they did their part and bothered no one. One of his best friends in the service was gay, and he never knew it until the end, and when he did find out, it mattered not at all. That wasn’t the measure of the man.
You religious folk just can’t bear the thought that as my son emerges from the hell that was his childhood he might like to find a lifelong companion and have a measure of happiness. It offends your sensibilities that he should request the right to visit that companion in the hospital, to make medical decisions for him or to benefit from tax laws governing inheritance. How dare he? you say. These outrageous requests would threaten the very existence of your family, would undermine the sanctity of marriage.
You use religion to abdicate your responsibility to be thinking human beings. There are vast numbers of religious people who find your attitudes repugnant. God is not for the privileged majority, and God knows my son has committed no sin. The deep-thinking author of a letter to the April 12 Valley News who lectures about homosexual sin and tells us about “those of us who have been blessed with the benefits of a religious upbringing” asks: “What ever happened to the idea of striving . . . to be better human beings than we are?”
Indeed, sir, what ever happened to that?”
Sharon UnderwoodValley NewsApril 30, 2000
Feel free to read the column and corresponding comments at http://ww3.startribune.com/kerstenblog/?p=430.
And for the record, there were a few slams on how many city ordinances that the Pride Parade and Festival break during the events. I'd just like to state for the record that we follow and enforce the same laws as everyone else is required to. So :-P
Finally, someone posted this letter that a mother wrote back in 2000 in response to several anti-gay comments coming out in Vermont.
Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a gay son and I’ve taken enough from you good people.
I’m tired of your foolish rhetoric about the “homosexual agenda” and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant. You have been robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny. My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade. He was physically and verbally abused from first grade straight through high school because he was perceived to be gay. He never professed to be gay or had any association with anything gay, but he had the misfortune not to walk or have gestures like the other boys. He was called “fag” incessantly, starting when he was 6.
In high school, while your children were doing what kids that age should be doing, mine labored over a suicide note, drafting and redrafting it to be sure his family knew how much he loved them. My sobbing 17-year-old tore the heart out of me as he choked out that he just couldn’t bear to continue living any longer, that he didn’t want to be gay and that he couldn’t face a life without dignity.
You have the audacity to talk about protecting families and children from the homosexual menace, while you yourselves tear apart families and drive children to despair. I don’t know why my son is gay, but I do know that God didn’t put him, and millions like him, on this Earth to give you someone to abuse. God gave you brains so that you could think, and it’s about time you started doing that.
At the core of all your misguided beliefs is the belief that this could never happen to you, that there is some kind of subculture out there that people have chosen to join. The fact is that if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours, and you won’t get to choose. Whether it is genetic or whether something occurs during a critical time of fetal development, I don’t know. I can only tell you with an absolute certainty that it is inborn.
If you want to tout your own morality, you’d best come up with something more substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to you. If you disagree, I would be interested in hearing your story, because my own heterosexuality was a blessing I received with no effort whatsoever on my part. It is so woven into the very soul of me that nothing could ever change it. For those of you who reduce sexual orientation to a simple choice, a character issue, a bad habit or something that can be changed by a 10-step program, I’m puzzled. Are you saying that your own sexual orientation is nothing more than something you have chosen, that you could change it at will? If that’s not the case, then why would you suggest that someone else can?
A popular theme in your letters is that Vermont has been infiltrated by outsiders. Both sides of my family have lived in Vermont for generations. I am heart and soul a Vermonter, so I’ll thank you to stop saying that you are speaking for “true Vermonters.”
You invoke the memory of the brave people who have fought on the battlefield for this great country, saying that they didn’t give their lives so that the “homosexual agenda” could tear down the principles they died defending. My 83-year-old father fought in some of the most horrific battles of World War II, was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart.
He shakes his head in sadness at the life his grandson has had to live. He says he fought alongside homosexuals in those battles, that they did their part and bothered no one. One of his best friends in the service was gay, and he never knew it until the end, and when he did find out, it mattered not at all. That wasn’t the measure of the man.
You religious folk just can’t bear the thought that as my son emerges from the hell that was his childhood he might like to find a lifelong companion and have a measure of happiness. It offends your sensibilities that he should request the right to visit that companion in the hospital, to make medical decisions for him or to benefit from tax laws governing inheritance. How dare he? you say. These outrageous requests would threaten the very existence of your family, would undermine the sanctity of marriage.
You use religion to abdicate your responsibility to be thinking human beings. There are vast numbers of religious people who find your attitudes repugnant. God is not for the privileged majority, and God knows my son has committed no sin. The deep-thinking author of a letter to the April 12 Valley News who lectures about homosexual sin and tells us about “those of us who have been blessed with the benefits of a religious upbringing” asks: “What ever happened to the idea of striving . . . to be better human beings than we are?”
Indeed, sir, what ever happened to that?”
Sharon UnderwoodValley NewsApril 30, 2000
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Simple Science
So the meteorologist on the radio yesterday was saying that the roads would be icey this morning citing that "there is a lot of water in this snow"...
???
Somebody must have been sick and missed a science lesson in 1st grade!
WHERE IS SPRING????
???
Somebody must have been sick and missed a science lesson in 1st grade!
WHERE IS SPRING????
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Pride Entertainment Announcement!
ANNOUNCING
Pride in Concert!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Loring Park
Featuring:
En Vogue
Deborah Cox
Sick of Sarah
Sunshine Behavior
& DJ Red Richard
Prides biggest fireworks display ever will end the concert and for the first time will be choreographed to music arranged by DJ Red Richard!
Tickets go on sale in mid-April. Tickets are $8 online or $10 at the gate. Go to www.tcpride.org for all of the details!
This is year is going to be huge. Don’t miss it!
Pride in Concert!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
6:00pm – 10:00pm
Loring Park
Featuring:
En Vogue
Deborah Cox
Sick of Sarah
Sunshine Behavior
& DJ Red Richard
Prides biggest fireworks display ever will end the concert and for the first time will be choreographed to music arranged by DJ Red Richard!
Tickets go on sale in mid-April. Tickets are $8 online or $10 at the gate. Go to www.tcpride.org for all of the details!
This is year is going to be huge. Don’t miss it!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Off to Nebraska
So, I'm off to Nebraska to enjoy some time off after the Auto Show. Woohoo, your jealous I know! ;-)
The Auto Show went off without a hitch I'm happy to report. Attendance was up, just under 100,000 people and the show manager i work with, who is impossible to please, seemed very happy. So I shall pat myself on the back for getting excessively positive remarks from probably our toughest client! (cocky? yes thank you!) ;-)
Now I'm off to Nebraska. Get a little time away with the family and friends. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good R & R and have time to sort out alot of thoughts that have been going through my head lately. Life isn't complete without a little turmoil (or a lot). Anyway, I hope it will allow for some positive clarity.
I'll leave you with a little tribute to Nebraska.
The Auto Show went off without a hitch I'm happy to report. Attendance was up, just under 100,000 people and the show manager i work with, who is impossible to please, seemed very happy. So I shall pat myself on the back for getting excessively positive remarks from probably our toughest client! (cocky? yes thank you!) ;-)
Now I'm off to Nebraska. Get a little time away with the family and friends. Hopefully I'll be able to get some good R & R and have time to sort out alot of thoughts that have been going through my head lately. Life isn't complete without a little turmoil (or a lot). Anyway, I hope it will allow for some positive clarity.
I'll leave you with a little tribute to Nebraska.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A Beautiful Day
So, I figured for as much as I've complained about the cold weather this winter, I must say, it was beautiful out today! I'm so happy to see the sun. He's my friend and I have missed him. Cocktail on a patio anyone? Okay, maybe I'm a bit ahead of myself, but I taste spring and I won't let it go!!
Day 6 of the Auto Show. Three left and I get one of them off. WOOHOO!!!
I'll leave you with this. I love Bono. By far one of the coolest people I've ever had the opportunity to meet!
Day 6 of the Auto Show. Three left and I get one of them off. WOOHOO!!!
I'll leave you with this. I love Bono. By far one of the coolest people I've ever had the opportunity to meet!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Humor for the Day
So today is Day 4 (of 9) of the Auto Show. We are off and cruising (ha ha) and things are going well, so life is getting a bit easier.
Also, it was over 40 degrees today in MSP. YAY!!!
Just a little joke to help you smile!
Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. So they loadedUp Jack's minivan and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.
"I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbors will talk if I let you stay in my house."
"Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light."
The ladyAgreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night. Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way. They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing.
But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the attorney of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend.
He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you remember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our ski holiday up north about 9 months ago?"
"Yes, I do" Said Bob.
"Did you, uh, happen to getup in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?"
"Well, um, yes," Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out, "I have to admit that I did."
"And did you happen to give her my name instead of telling her your name?"
Bob's face turned beet red and he said, "Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy. I'm afraid I did. Why do you ask?"
"She just died and left me everything.."
(And you thought the ending would be different, didn't you?...You know you smiled... Now keep that smile for the rest of the day!)
Also, it was over 40 degrees today in MSP. YAY!!!
Just a little joke to help you smile!
Jack decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. So they loadedUp Jack's minivan and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.
"I realize it's terrible weather out there and I have this huge house all to myself, but I'm recently widowed," she explained. "I'm afraid the neighbors will talk if I let you stay in my house."
"Don't worry," Jack said. "We'll be happy to sleep in the barn. And if the weather breaks, we'll be gone at first light."
The ladyAgreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night. Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way. They enjoyed a great weekend of skiing.
But about nine months later, Jack got an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the attorney of that attractive widow he had met on the ski weekend.
He dropped in on his friend Bob and asked, "Bob, do you remember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our ski holiday up north about 9 months ago?"
"Yes, I do" Said Bob.
"Did you, uh, happen to getup in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?"
"Well, um, yes," Bob said, a little embarrassed about being found out, "I have to admit that I did."
"And did you happen to give her my name instead of telling her your name?"
Bob's face turned beet red and he said, "Yeah, look, I'm sorry, buddy. I'm afraid I did. Why do you ask?"
"She just died and left me everything.."
(And you thought the ending would be different, didn't you?...You know you smiled... Now keep that smile for the rest of the day!)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
American Controversy
Every year somebody has to make trouble for Amercian Idol and this year it is David Hernandez. The power singer was evidently a fully nude stripper at a gay bar in Phoenix called Dick's. How creative... It appears the show isn't too worried about his sordid past. Maybe we can have a strip off on one of the episodes? The funny thing is I have been trying to figure out if he is gay or not, and the fact that he was a stripper at a gay bar actually makes me lean towards him being straight. Ironic I know, but it seems most male strippers, even at gay bars, are straight.
He could sing to me nude...
but would I owe him a $20?
Anyway, It also appears the Democratic Primary will drag on for at least another 7 weeks. Can I say I'm tired of it? I'd love a few weeks of 'downtime' from the campaign talk before we hit the heavy general election season!
He could sing to me nude...
but would I owe him a $20?
Anyway, It also appears the Democratic Primary will drag on for at least another 7 weeks. Can I say I'm tired of it? I'd love a few weeks of 'downtime' from the campaign talk before we hit the heavy general election season!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Yawn
Tuesday already and no post from me. I must apologize I'm still groggy after watching the most boring Oscars in ages. Boring dresses, boring montages and quite frankly, boring movies.
And the nominated songs? Let's not even go there!
Of note (to Minnesotans i guess) is the number of awards given to Minnesotans. Notably the Coen Brothers and Diablo Cody (writer of Juno).
I just want to know where my Oscar is?!?!?!
I shall leave you with a montage from another Coen movie. Yeah?
And the nominated songs? Let's not even go there!
Of note (to Minnesotans i guess) is the number of awards given to Minnesotans. Notably the Coen Brothers and Diablo Cody (writer of Juno).
I just want to know where my Oscar is?!?!?!
I shall leave you with a montage from another Coen movie. Yeah?
The scene by the highway is right by my condo.... Woo... I'm famous!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Super Nanny!
So the Super Nanny is filming in Lincoln, NE (my hometown) and the city is all abuzz. It's second reality show in a year's time. Extreme Makeover built a Mega Mansion in a rundown neighborhood about this time last year.
Its an interesting contrast, Makeover comes in and builds this $500,000 house and across the street is a house that is literally leaning to one side. Brings in all the equipment, marching bands, thousands of volunteers and I believe even put up the neighbors in hotels for the week of building because they were so loud.
Super Nanny is quiet and understated, doesn't want to divulge the name of the family she is working with so they can maintain their privacy for the time being and even takes a day of vacation so she can go to the city mission and teach a parenting workshop. Evidently she does this in most towns that she goes to and usually the media doesn't find out. She wouldn't allow the media to film the workshop or any of the questions to maintain privacy and help the mother's in attendance feel comfortable.
I like her... but then again, I like most anyone with a british accent... they sound so smart!
Its an interesting contrast, Makeover comes in and builds this $500,000 house and across the street is a house that is literally leaning to one side. Brings in all the equipment, marching bands, thousands of volunteers and I believe even put up the neighbors in hotels for the week of building because they were so loud.
Super Nanny is quiet and understated, doesn't want to divulge the name of the family she is working with so they can maintain their privacy for the time being and even takes a day of vacation so she can go to the city mission and teach a parenting workshop. Evidently she does this in most towns that she goes to and usually the media doesn't find out. She wouldn't allow the media to film the workshop or any of the questions to maintain privacy and help the mother's in attendance feel comfortable.
I like her... but then again, I like most anyone with a british accent... they sound so smart!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
So You've Had a Bad Day?
So I've been having a crappy couple of weeks and I've heard many of my friends have had as well. Seeing things like this make my day seem pretty easy though.
Rule #1 when singing the National Anthem: Remember the words!
Rule #2 keep the words readily available in your pocket so you don't have to fumble if you forget.
Rule #3 REMEMBER THE DAMN WORDS!!!
Rule #1 when singing the National Anthem: Remember the words!
Rule #2 keep the words readily available in your pocket so you don't have to fumble if you forget.
Rule #3 REMEMBER THE DAMN WORDS!!!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Ways to keep your spirit 'up' at work
A little humor for the day!
The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. (This is one pretty sharp boss!) When everyone gathered, the boss, who understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt out staff the purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest. The theme: Viagra advertising slogans. The only rule was they had to use past ad slogans, originally written for other products that captured the essence of Viagra. Slight variations were acceptable. About 7 minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a Top 10 List. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the week went very well for everyone!
The top 10 were:
10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up!
9. Viagra, The quicker pecker picker upper.
8. Viagra, Like a rock!
7. Viagra, When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.
6. Viagra, Be all that you can be.
5. Viagra, Reach out and touch someone.
4. Viagra, Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.
3. Viagra, Home of the whopper!
2. Viagra, We bring good things to Life!
And the unanimous number one slogan:
1. Viagra, This is your peepee, this is your peepee on drugs
Friday, February 15, 2008
Lied Center Layoffs
My hat is off to all of my friends at the Lied Center (my former employer) who lost their jobs due to budget cuts. As reported in the Journal Star on Tuesday 2/12/08, the Lied Center is laying off 6 FTE to make up a major budget shortfall that has been caused by lagging ticket sales over the last three years. From what I've heard there have actually been 8 positions cut and a 9th person has resigned. 1 position was cut a month ago and the other was PT so not listed with the other layoffs. Comments to the story were quite scathing I must say, towards the content that the Lied has been offering as of late and high ticket prices. All my love to them, but I must agree I haven't been excited by much on the brochure over the last couple years.
I am a bit confused by some of the comments. There were several complaints of $90+ tickets and I can't find any show over $60 and that includes the Broadway selection. If we could get our Broadway touring shows in Minneapolis down to $60 for the top tier I'd be ecstatic!
There were also several comments that people wanted higher caliber entertainers with much lower ticket prices...
soo...
you want to see more expensive artists
and...
you want to pay less for them.
Hmmm, well that's logical. I'd rather buy a 40" plasma TV and pay less for it than a 19" box TV. If you can find the store that will make that work, I'd be happy to patronize that establishment.
Balancing the schedule for a performing arts center (especially in Nebraska) is an exceedingly difficult task. You simply can't NOT book events with world class orchestras and dance companies. These events need to be accessible to the citizens, but undoubtably will lose money. Many of the orchestras are set to lose money even if they sell out! Hey, it's expensive to tour with 100+ musicians.
Add to that the new Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha and the fact that they book Broadway through Broadway Across America (formerly of Clear Channel) and you have an uphill battle in scheduling the top acts.
The Lied has missed out on great opportunities to partner more heavily with the University. With the musical talent that is coming out of Omaha these days, there is an abundance of up and coming musical acts that are followed by the large number of students in Lincoln. In my three years alone we passed up opportunities to present Maroon 5, Bright Eyes and Jason Mraz to name a few. Granted both the Student Activities Board and Lied are both responsible for not creating a broader partnership.
Also noted in the article are needs to improve marketing efforts (which have been lacking for several years) and the need to increase fundraising efforst. UNL has shot itself in the foot for the fundraising, they have heavily restricted the Lied's efforts to raise funds to support itself since it opened. A heavy portion of the Lied's revenue comes from ticket sales, which is not a comfortable/safe position to be in. Hopefully the NU Foundation will begin kicking up efforts to grow the Lied's Sponsorship program as well as planned giving and soliciting large donations to the endowment. An arts organization simply can't last (obviously) on the little fundraising that the Lied was allowed to do. That being said, I'm a bit surprised that one of the positions cut was the Development Director. The only develpment position on staff.
I wish the best to all of the staff who have had there positions cut. Your accomplishments are many and I hope you are all recognized for the great work that you have done. In such a small organization (31 total FTE) any cuts are painful and deep, let alone when you are losing a 3rd of your staff. Best wishes also go out to all those that will continue on. I'm sure there will be a lot of changes to adapt to and ever increasing job descriptions as well.
I am a bit confused by some of the comments. There were several complaints of $90+ tickets and I can't find any show over $60 and that includes the Broadway selection. If we could get our Broadway touring shows in Minneapolis down to $60 for the top tier I'd be ecstatic!
There were also several comments that people wanted higher caliber entertainers with much lower ticket prices...
soo...
you want to see more expensive artists
and...
you want to pay less for them.
Hmmm, well that's logical. I'd rather buy a 40" plasma TV and pay less for it than a 19" box TV. If you can find the store that will make that work, I'd be happy to patronize that establishment.
Balancing the schedule for a performing arts center (especially in Nebraska) is an exceedingly difficult task. You simply can't NOT book events with world class orchestras and dance companies. These events need to be accessible to the citizens, but undoubtably will lose money. Many of the orchestras are set to lose money even if they sell out! Hey, it's expensive to tour with 100+ musicians.
Add to that the new Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha and the fact that they book Broadway through Broadway Across America (formerly of Clear Channel) and you have an uphill battle in scheduling the top acts.
The Lied has missed out on great opportunities to partner more heavily with the University. With the musical talent that is coming out of Omaha these days, there is an abundance of up and coming musical acts that are followed by the large number of students in Lincoln. In my three years alone we passed up opportunities to present Maroon 5, Bright Eyes and Jason Mraz to name a few. Granted both the Student Activities Board and Lied are both responsible for not creating a broader partnership.
Also noted in the article are needs to improve marketing efforts (which have been lacking for several years) and the need to increase fundraising efforst. UNL has shot itself in the foot for the fundraising, they have heavily restricted the Lied's efforts to raise funds to support itself since it opened. A heavy portion of the Lied's revenue comes from ticket sales, which is not a comfortable/safe position to be in. Hopefully the NU Foundation will begin kicking up efforts to grow the Lied's Sponsorship program as well as planned giving and soliciting large donations to the endowment. An arts organization simply can't last (obviously) on the little fundraising that the Lied was allowed to do. That being said, I'm a bit surprised that one of the positions cut was the Development Director. The only develpment position on staff.
I wish the best to all of the staff who have had there positions cut. Your accomplishments are many and I hope you are all recognized for the great work that you have done. In such a small organization (31 total FTE) any cuts are painful and deep, let alone when you are losing a 3rd of your staff. Best wishes also go out to all those that will continue on. I'm sure there will be a lot of changes to adapt to and ever increasing job descriptions as well.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Quote of the Day
I overheard a bum talking to a friend this morning at 9:00am. I was on my way into work, he was en route to the soup chicken at a neighboring church.
"I'm still drunk. What the fu*k???"
"I'm still drunk. What the fu*k???"
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Another Reason to vote Democrat!
As if there aren't enough anyway...
As Romney drops out of the Presidential race today, we come to terms with the fact that John McCain will in fact be the 2008 Presidential Nominee.
I found this interesting article, on a 'conservative' website that I thought should be shared. Just in case you might be leaning towards John McCain, there's plenty of time to change your mind! He's highly regarded in Washington DC (and his home state of Arizona) as being a hot head that likes to cuss people out. What a great way to make peace around the world!
http://www.wethepeopleforpresident.com/news.asp?dismode=article&artid=58
Does America Really Want “Mack The Knife's” Finger Near the Nuclear Button? (2/1/2008)
Presidential Candidate and Senator John McCain may appear more presidential these days following his recent primary wins, but one aspect of his fitness for command has been strikingly absent from media scrutiny; and the severity of it is alarming.
Senator McCain has an explosive temper and a razor-sharp tongue. Whether he chooses to admit it one day, and dismiss it the next, his eruptions have cost him many friendships on the Hill and begs the question: Is he stable enough to become the next leader of the free world?
According to several of his colleagues: No. Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), whom he has known since the 1970’s, told The Boston Globe “He’s erratic. He is a hothead. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
Notorious for hurling “f*** you” at colleagues whom he disagrees with, Senator McCain has alienated himself from several lawmakers whom, as President, would have to work with to push an agenda he is now running on. “He had very few friends in the Senate,” former Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) told NewsMax in July 2006. “He would disagree about something and then explode. It was incidents of irrational behavior…I’ve never seen anyone act like that.”
The self-righteous Senator’s temper is seared in the memories of other colleagues. Senator Pete Dominici (R-NM), whom McCain had called an “a**hole” and then went further with the piercing remark “I wouldn’t call you an a-hole, unless you were really an a-hole,” told Newsweek “I wouldn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.”
Former Rep. John LeBoutillier (R-NY) also experienced McCain’s rages. “People who disagree with him get the ‘f*** you’” he told NewsMax. “I think he is mentally unstable and not fit to be President.”
Even The Arizona Republic, in a 1999 op-ed, discussed his “volcanic” temper stating “there is also reason to seriously question whether he has the temperament and the political approach and skills, we want in the next President of the United States.”
The Arizona Republic was correct in questioning McCain’s temper. Anyone who has a “scuffle” with a 92 year-old Senator (Strom Thurmond), begs for their temperament to be questioned.
McCain admits in his 2002 memoir “Worth Fighting For”, “I have a temper…it does not always serve my interest or the public’s.” How well will his temper serve We the People’s interest when working with Congress, foreign leaders or military generals who disagree with him, especially if deciding on a nuclear option? How well will his temper serve his supporters who elected him, when he reneges on his campaign promises? Will he tell them off with the same expletives he uses on his peers?
Cher in Las Vegas
Over a year ago Celine Dion announced that she would not renew her contract to perform at Caeser's Palace. Since then it has been rumored that Cher might fill the spot left open by Celine. It's finally been announced and tickets went on sale today for concert's beginning in May 2008. She is reportedly contracted to perform approximately 200 concerts over the next three years. Tickets range from $86 - $227.
You know I'm going... ;-)
Now, before anyone starts complaining that she already had her fairwell tour (that went on for three years...) in all fairness, she just said she wouldn't TOUR any more. This is a resident show. So just let it go!
Caeser's Palace is now home to resident performers: Elton John, Bette Midler, Cher and Jerry Seinfeld. It seems that Caeser's has become the performance Mecca for gay icons in Vegas. Which is oddly fitting considering it is "Caeser's" Palace. I wonder if that says anything about Seinfeld??? Highly doubtful. I worked with him on a performance a few years back and would say he's one of the straightest performers I've met. The gaydar didn't even wake up.
Anyway... Anyone up for a little Viva Las Vegas??? I'm ready for a return trip!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Meet the Candidates
Well, news is breaking that both Hillary and Obama are going to be in Minneapolis this Saturday.
Barrack Obama is scheduled to be at the Target Center around 1:30pm. Online tickets are already 'sold' out.
Hillary Clinton is supposed to be at Augsburg College some time in the evening.
If you want to see the candidates live before Tuesday's caucus, now's your chance!
Barrack Obama is scheduled to be at the Target Center around 1:30pm. Online tickets are already 'sold' out.
Hillary Clinton is supposed to be at Augsburg College some time in the evening.
If you want to see the candidates live before Tuesday's caucus, now's your chance!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Its Cold!
Holy Crap its cold. We are approacing Noon today and it is -11 degrees.
That's right... NEGATIVE 11 degrees!!!
Wind Chill (feels like) temperature is -32 degrees.
Anyone care to go to the beach?
Political Drop Outs
Two more candidates are announcing today that they are leaving the race.
Rudy Guilliani, no surprise here, is dropping out of the race after spending nearly 30 million in Florida and coming in a distant third. Its almost a good thing his campaign staff agreed to work without pay for the last couple months. Anyone who would give him the advice to not campaign at all in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, etc is not worth getting paid. Yes, Florida has more votes, but that was two months were he received almost no national attention. Primaries are becoming increasingly national and he seems to be the only one to not realize that.
Sorry Rudy. I guess its time to go back to taking way too much credit for your 'amazing' response during 9/11. I'll continue to give the credit to the first responders.
It appears I'll be spending my labor day weekend with either John McCain or Mitt Romney.
Sadly John Edwards also announced he will pull out merely hours after visiting Minneapolis St. Paul. Although he appeared to have no chance at winning, I appreciated his efforts. He had some good ideas, pushed the two front runners and kept his campaign above the belt, which I am very thankful for after some of the punches from Hillary and Obama.
I still can't decide who I support. Either way, it is exciting to say that the next Democratic nominee for President (and likely the next President) will be from a 'minority' class. Its about time America!
Rudy Guilliani, no surprise here, is dropping out of the race after spending nearly 30 million in Florida and coming in a distant third. Its almost a good thing his campaign staff agreed to work without pay for the last couple months. Anyone who would give him the advice to not campaign at all in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, etc is not worth getting paid. Yes, Florida has more votes, but that was two months were he received almost no national attention. Primaries are becoming increasingly national and he seems to be the only one to not realize that.
Sorry Rudy. I guess its time to go back to taking way too much credit for your 'amazing' response during 9/11. I'll continue to give the credit to the first responders.
It appears I'll be spending my labor day weekend with either John McCain or Mitt Romney.
Sadly John Edwards also announced he will pull out merely hours after visiting Minneapolis St. Paul. Although he appeared to have no chance at winning, I appreciated his efforts. He had some good ideas, pushed the two front runners and kept his campaign above the belt, which I am very thankful for after some of the punches from Hillary and Obama.
I still can't decide who I support. Either way, it is exciting to say that the next Democratic nominee for President (and likely the next President) will be from a 'minority' class. Its about time America!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sex on the Beach
So one thing that has driven me batty in Minnesota, is that no bartender seems to be correctly make my favorite cocktail.
Since I was but a wee lad of 21 (yes, I was fairly behaved and didn't do much MIP'ing) I have always loved the cocktail 'Sex on the Beach'. Its so fruity and strong. Just the way I like it!
I often get asked if I like the activity too, when I order this drink. Although this is off-topic, I would have to say yes, although you have to watch out for sand in bad places and you don't want to catch crabs! lol
Moving on!
So I never had any problem getting the drink I expected anywhere until I moved to Minnesota. For some reason they LOVE to make it with Malibu and Cream. For one thing, I hate Coconut, but most importantly, the idea of Orange Juice and Cream together just does not sound appetizing!
When I request the bartender make it my way (aka the right way) I get looked at funny and it always ends up that they make fun of my weird 'Nebraska' Cocktails.
I have since taken on the experiment to order it whenever traveling and am happy to report that EVERYwhere but Minnesota and Kansas City make it the right way! ;-)
If you doubt the legitimacy of the locations I have gone to, they include:
New York City
Washington D.C.
Tampa, FL
Denver, CO
Boston, MA
and NOW
San Francisco
& Las Vegas
So I think if we go by majority rules it appears that Minnesota has the weird concoction.
HA! Its so nice being right isn't it? :-)
Okay, so I realize nobody cares but me. BUT if you would like to try a fun cocktail this is the recipe that SMART people use (aka me):
1oz Vodka
1oz Peach Schnapps
Orange Juice
Splash of Cranberry
Cherry (and Orange slice if you wish) for flare!
Bottoms up!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Sin City Burns
Well, maybe that is a bit dramatic, but I was shocked to see the Monte Carlo on fire when I logged on to CNN.com today. Having been there just a few days earlier (Saturday) it was weird to have been 'almost' there for the action. Do you suppose this is God giving us a sign that the sins will no longer be overlooked???
But wait, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas right? That was my moto!
Oh well, stories must be told and they will. I apologize for being absent for the last week, but with the awesome trip to San Francisco then Las Vegas, and then getting a crappy cold, I haven't been on the computer much. Stay tuned and I'll try to remember all of the fun stories.
Glad I wasn't staying in the Monte Carlo!
And this 0 Degree weather crap... blah!!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
San Francisco Treats
I'm off to San Francisco in a little less than three and a half hours. Color me excited! I've never been but have heard great things about it from everyone.
(whispers) I've also heard there are gay people there... (gasps in horror) My first trip to the gay Mecca, whatever shall I do?!?! hehe.
Oh, and the trip ends with one night in Vegas. Maybe I'll come home rich... or married to Elvis... let's hope for the former. And remember... The herpes you got in Vegas, does NOT stay in Vegas. ;-)
Final Thought: I'm flying Sun Country, I wonder if I'll get to vote on whether or not we get cheeseburgers?
(whispers) I've also heard there are gay people there... (gasps in horror) My first trip to the gay Mecca, whatever shall I do?!?! hehe.
Oh, and the trip ends with one night in Vegas. Maybe I'll come home rich... or married to Elvis... let's hope for the former. And remember... The herpes you got in Vegas, does NOT stay in Vegas. ;-)
Final Thought: I'm flying Sun Country, I wonder if I'll get to vote on whether or not we get cheeseburgers?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
American Idol Resumes for 2008
So, I'm sitting here, watching the second night of American Idol - 7 Auditions.
Its so bad, I don't even know where to begin... You just have to see it to believe it. My favorite one last night would be the girl (I believe Alexis) who lives in a studio Apartment with her mom, two cats and a dog. I'm quite certain that they actually eat the cat food themselves...
My favorite comment of the night was when my friend Lisa said, they shouldn't call this American Idol Auditions, but "People least likely to ever get laid in (insert city here)"
So True
So True
I mean, if I was tone deaf, and trying out for a singing competition on national television, i would most certainly wear a princess lea costume that showed most of my fat and hairy chest. Twas even better when he went and got a full body wax because of Paula's suggestion.
Well at least America's freaks have an outlet to be noticed.
Oh yes, and today at work I found out how they make "animal byproducts". If you have any desire to be a vegetarian, this would be a great video to push you over the edge. You'd never want to eat an animal again.
Oh yes... I love my job...
Its so bad, I don't even know where to begin... You just have to see it to believe it. My favorite one last night would be the girl (I believe Alexis) who lives in a studio Apartment with her mom, two cats and a dog. I'm quite certain that they actually eat the cat food themselves...
My favorite comment of the night was when my friend Lisa said, they shouldn't call this American Idol Auditions, but "People least likely to ever get laid in (insert city here)"
So True
So True
I mean, if I was tone deaf, and trying out for a singing competition on national television, i would most certainly wear a princess lea costume that showed most of my fat and hairy chest. Twas even better when he went and got a full body wax because of Paula's suggestion.
Well at least America's freaks have an outlet to be noticed.
Oh yes, and today at work I found out how they make "animal byproducts". If you have any desire to be a vegetarian, this would be a great video to push you over the edge. You'd never want to eat an animal again.
Oh yes... I love my job...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Sigh
Well its been a few days since my last blog, but I haven't forgotten about all of my loyal fan(s).
It was a busy weekend, worked through all of it. The lovely Log & Timber Home Show (read with a thick MN accent, its funnier that way... but then again, isn't everything?) The Roller Girls, which is an absolutely funderful way to spend an evening. Four teams of women on Roller Skates competing and beating on each other. It's awesome, you should check it out. I'll write more on this in an upcoming blog. And I ended the weekend with the ever wonderful, Wedding Fair. A great show, so romantic, but after spending 6 hours with a bunch of newly engaged couples you just want to vomit!
I... mean...
:-)
Final note for this short blog. Why the hell is life so complicated???
cheers!
It was a busy weekend, worked through all of it. The lovely Log & Timber Home Show (read with a thick MN accent, its funnier that way... but then again, isn't everything?) The Roller Girls, which is an absolutely funderful way to spend an evening. Four teams of women on Roller Skates competing and beating on each other. It's awesome, you should check it out. I'll write more on this in an upcoming blog. And I ended the weekend with the ever wonderful, Wedding Fair. A great show, so romantic, but after spending 6 hours with a bunch of newly engaged couples you just want to vomit!
I... mean...
:-)
Final note for this short blog. Why the hell is life so complicated???
cheers!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Unknowing twins marry each other
From CNN.com
Oh HELL No!
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British twins who had been separated at birth learned they were related only after they had become husband and wife, a senior British lawmaker said. The marriage has been annulled.
The couple's identities have been protected for legal reasons.
Their case was first highlighted by Lord Alton of Liverpool during a discussion on donor conception in the House of Lords in December, but only came to light Friday.
The peer told the House of Lords that a court annulled the union as soon as the twins' true relationship became known.
"They were never told that they were twins," he said during the Dec. 10 debate on a law covering human fertility and embryology. They had been adopted by separate families and "met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."
No further details about the couple have emerged, and it is not known when the marriage took place or how long they were together before they discovered the truth.
Adoption groups said Friday the case proves the need for openness and transparency during the adoption process.
Mo O'Reilly, director of child placement for the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, said released a statement saying: "Thirty or 40 years ago it would have been more likely that twins be separated and brought up without knowledge of each other."
However, she said, greater emphasis in recent years on ensuring adopted siblings stay in touch meant this "traumatic" case will remain "incredibly rare."
Daisy O'Clee, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that of more current concern is the lack of legislation surrounding fertility treatment.
Under British law the parents of a donor-conceived child do not have to declare that fact on the child's birth certificate, O'Clee told CNN. This means a child conceived with a donor sperm or egg may never know their true origin.
Lawmakers will vote Tuesday on whether to pass a law covering human fertility and embryology that would relax the rules on who can have fertility treatment.
O'Clee warned that in its present form the proposal does little to address the rights of donor-conceived children.
"The rights of donor children are being ignored," she said.
Oh HELL No!
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British twins who had been separated at birth learned they were related only after they had become husband and wife, a senior British lawmaker said. The marriage has been annulled.
The couple's identities have been protected for legal reasons.
Their case was first highlighted by Lord Alton of Liverpool during a discussion on donor conception in the House of Lords in December, but only came to light Friday.
The peer told the House of Lords that a court annulled the union as soon as the twins' true relationship became known.
"They were never told that they were twins," he said during the Dec. 10 debate on a law covering human fertility and embryology. They had been adopted by separate families and "met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."
No further details about the couple have emerged, and it is not known when the marriage took place or how long they were together before they discovered the truth.
Adoption groups said Friday the case proves the need for openness and transparency during the adoption process.
Mo O'Reilly, director of child placement for the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, said released a statement saying: "Thirty or 40 years ago it would have been more likely that twins be separated and brought up without knowledge of each other."
However, she said, greater emphasis in recent years on ensuring adopted siblings stay in touch meant this "traumatic" case will remain "incredibly rare."
Daisy O'Clee, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that of more current concern is the lack of legislation surrounding fertility treatment.
Under British law the parents of a donor-conceived child do not have to declare that fact on the child's birth certificate, O'Clee told CNN. This means a child conceived with a donor sperm or egg may never know their true origin.
Lawmakers will vote Tuesday on whether to pass a law covering human fertility and embryology that would relax the rules on who can have fertility treatment.
O'Clee warned that in its present form the proposal does little to address the rights of donor-conceived children.
"The rights of donor children are being ignored," she said.
Avenue Q - Contains Full Puppet Nudity!
This will be a short blog, but just wanted to comment that a large group of us went on Wednesday evening and the show was fantastic! If you've never seen it, its definitely a must see. Just think Sesame Street meets RENT. How can you go wrong with a show when the songs are titled "What Do You Do With a B.A. In English?", "The Internet Is For Porn", and "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist".
AND, the tickets are dirt cheap as far as touring Broadway goes. I think through the weekend you can get seats for as little as $35.00!
My absolute favorite part of the show is the Bad Ideas Bears. They are two bears that remind me of the Care Bears that come in at random times and try to get the characters to drink, get laid, etc. Remember, when you are broke, its always better to buy in bulk. Otherwise you are wasting money... So don't buy a six-pack... Buy a Case!!! YYYYAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!
(I know, you have to see it to truly get it)
Well I'll leave you with their opening number, as performed at the 2004 Tony Awards Show. They won the Tony for Best Musical that Year over Wicked (second clip is in honr of that!). You can see a bunch more on YouTube if you so choose.
It Sucks To Be Me!
Popular
AND, the tickets are dirt cheap as far as touring Broadway goes. I think through the weekend you can get seats for as little as $35.00!
My absolute favorite part of the show is the Bad Ideas Bears. They are two bears that remind me of the Care Bears that come in at random times and try to get the characters to drink, get laid, etc. Remember, when you are broke, its always better to buy in bulk. Otherwise you are wasting money... So don't buy a six-pack... Buy a Case!!! YYYYAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!
(I know, you have to see it to truly get it)
Well I'll leave you with their opening number, as performed at the 2004 Tony Awards Show. They won the Tony for Best Musical that Year over Wicked (second clip is in honr of that!). You can see a bunch more on YouTube if you so choose.
It Sucks To Be Me!
Popular
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Thank You New Hampshire
I'm not necessarily endorsing Hillary Clinton, but as many of you have heard me say, I was worried that the primary was already over. Once Obama won Iowa, the polls showed Hillary tanking. If you remember back in 2004 it seemed that within a week or two of the first primaries, John Kerry had all but clinched the nomination. I'm excited to see that this race is going to continue in earnest and that we may get more time to get to know Hillary, Obama and Edwards. What their endurance is like and how steady and strong they are in their views.
Question to the group: Did Hillary's show of emotion help her in New Hampshire???
I would say yes. Even though the "liberal" (ha!) media has lambasted her for crying, which she wasn't, I think it finally allowed the country to see through her hard exterior. Looking through my memory, I don't think she has ever showed much emotion since she has been in the public light. I think people needed to see the human side of her finally and not just think she is so stoic and uncaring.
If you look at past elections, candidates seem to lose as much, if not more, based on their personalities then their stances. Look back at Kerry, Gore and even Dole. All of them were seen as incredibly stoic, no emotion and overly 'prepped'. If you talked to people, that was most frequently their biggest turn-off. Whereas people look at Bill Clinton and (I hate to say it) George W Bush and they see them as personable and often get ranked as someone people say they would like to meet.
Anyway, food for thought. I look forward to hearing your responses if you would like to join in the conversation!
I'll leave you with this from last night.
Question to the group: Did Hillary's show of emotion help her in New Hampshire???
I would say yes. Even though the "liberal" (ha!) media has lambasted her for crying, which she wasn't, I think it finally allowed the country to see through her hard exterior. Looking through my memory, I don't think she has ever showed much emotion since she has been in the public light. I think people needed to see the human side of her finally and not just think she is so stoic and uncaring.
If you look at past elections, candidates seem to lose as much, if not more, based on their personalities then their stances. Look back at Kerry, Gore and even Dole. All of them were seen as incredibly stoic, no emotion and overly 'prepped'. If you talked to people, that was most frequently their biggest turn-off. Whereas people look at Bill Clinton and (I hate to say it) George W Bush and they see them as personable and often get ranked as someone people say they would like to meet.
Anyway, food for thought. I look forward to hearing your responses if you would like to join in the conversation!
I'll leave you with this from last night.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Lessons Learned
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in...
I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are justjackasses.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.
I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.
I've learned that ex's are like fungus, and keep coming back.
I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.
I've learned that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
I've learned that one good turn gets most of the blankets.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are justjackasses.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and it only takes suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.
I've learned that whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more screwed up than you think.
I've learned that depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
I've learned that it is not what you wear; it is how you take it off.
I've learned that you can keep vomiting long after you think you're finished.
I've learned to not sweat the petty things, and not pet the sweaty things.
I've learned that ex's are like fungus, and keep coming back.
I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
I've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, unless we are celebrities.
I've learned that artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
I've learned that 99% of the time when something isn't working in your house, one of your kids did it.
I've learned that there is a fine line between genius and insanity.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the ass are permanent.
Random Happenings
So I have actually missed two, yes TWO, days of blogging. I apologize for this and am sure you have been eagerly anticipating my next blog!
First and foremost, I'm sure my Nebraska friends and family are quite excited by LSU's win over OSU in last night's BCS Championship Game. If Bo Pelini could take over as Head Coach for the Husker football team on a higher pedestal I'd like to see how! Hopes and expectations are high, but we'll reevaluate in September! I had wanted to relax and enjoy the game, but alas I was stuck in a Pride Board Meeting until 10:15pm... more on this later. I did get to catch the last few moments of the game, so i guess all was not lost.
Okay, no more sports talk, I promise.
So yesterday started with a 5:15am wake-up call. My new neighbor and I have decided to work out every morning before work. I would consider myself a morning person... if mornings started at 10:00am. However 5:00am??? Even the sun wonders why the hell you are getting up. Anyway, time to work off the 5 lbs that I gained over the holidays. I was actually pretty awake for the workout, and was pleasantly surprised to find several attractive guys working out as well that early in the AM. I started to think that maybe I would be able to keep this up after all! That is until I hit 10:00am and exhaustion set in. This is going to be hard to adjust my schedule, but I shall succeed!
All would have been find except for the 3 hour and 15 minute Pride Board meeting that followed work. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the work I get to do for the festival, but the board meetings completely drain me. All the politics and such. Add to that the fact I've been up since 5:00am and Scott becomes quite the cranky individual. Unfortunately I have been working with this group for 3 years now and I might (just maybe) allow my facial expressions to reveal a bit too much! I blew off some steam by the end by ranting about people needing to come to the meetings more prepared, blah, blah, blah.
The one great thing that came out of the meeting was that Adam Robbins, who volunteers as my Exhibitor Coordinator for the Festival (and is a good friend), was awarded the 2008 Pride Hero of the Year Award. I don't think this has ever gone to a Pride Volunteer in the past, and it couldn't have gone to a better candidate. He was nominated amongst a field of dedicated GLBT community members, but there was no question as to who should win. He embodies the volunteer spirit, doing things not for himself but the 'greater good'. Many people noted that no matter what event they go to, Pride, HRC Dinner, NCOD Luncheon, etc. he is there, and he isn't just attending, but working it with a smile. He is truly the model volunteer and I don't know what our team would do without him! If you know Adam, congratulate him! He deserves it!!!
One last little note from my 'real job'. We had, what I like to refer to as, a cluster fu*k day today. There were basically three events going on in the building. Easy day for us really. But it couldn't have been laid out worse. We had one group of 2,000 going from the lower level to the Auditorium lobby, one group of 1000 going from the Auditorium Lobby to the lower level and one group of 300 going from the Auditorium to the lower level and this all had to happen within about 15 minutes. Now, we have 1.5 million square feet of event space, but for some reason we could only use two areas for it, I don't know why no one caught this, or why I was the first to pose the question late last week... but "Ours isn't to question why... "
Our traffic flow plan looked a little like this:
When giving directions I felt a little like the cartoon character that crosses his arms and points both directions. *sigh*
That's all for now. Time for a nap...
Saturday, January 5, 2008
28 Days
So Lee and I have made a pact of sobriety for the month of January. We decided it was time to let our batteries recharge and our filters recalibrate! This partially started when Lee figured out his finances and realized he had spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $350 at the bar in the month of November. This wouldn't have bothered ME so much, except for the fact that I was with him probably 90% of the time!
Anyway, I had to work New Year's Eve, and I figured since I got through that day sober I could make it a whole month. So off I went on my quest and Lee jumped on board right away. Luckily for me (and those around me), I can be as stupid sober as I am when I'm tipsy so fun shall still prevail.
I may be making one exception though as I'm travelling to visit a friend in San Francisco for a weekend in late January. I mean, it would just be silly of me not to at least have a glass of wine while I'm in wine country? Right? I figure I'm on holiday so it doesn't count. Can you tell I'm looking for validation? hehe ENABLE ME!!!
Oh yeah... day 5 and going strong!
Anyway, I had to work New Year's Eve, and I figured since I got through that day sober I could make it a whole month. So off I went on my quest and Lee jumped on board right away. Luckily for me (and those around me), I can be as stupid sober as I am when I'm tipsy so fun shall still prevail.
I may be making one exception though as I'm travelling to visit a friend in San Francisco for a weekend in late January. I mean, it would just be silly of me not to at least have a glass of wine while I'm in wine country? Right? I figure I'm on holiday so it doesn't count. Can you tell I'm looking for validation? hehe ENABLE ME!!!
Oh yeah... day 5 and going strong!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Just let me turn!!!
Is it just me or does this metro area have way too many damn red turn arrows??? I understand their purpose at an overly busy or blind intersection, I do prefer to live through my daily driving experience, but REALLY!
I spend more time idling at Red Left Turn Arrows with ZERO oncoming traffic than I care to think about! I mean, I love the GREEN arrow, it's a wonderful thing, but that does not require also having a RED arrow. I'm supposedly from a hick town (aka Lincoln, NE), but they seem to get that people are able to safely turn without the need for the red arrow. And yes, we do have stop lights, smart ass!
Maybe MNDoT will take the red arrow's down when they remove all the stop lights on the highway on ramps... HA!!!
Final Note: UPS instituted a program in 2007 where they planned all routes with no left turns. Doing this shaved 28.5 million miles off of their route lengths and saved them 3 million gallons of gas. Anybody want to turn right???
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Paula Abdul
I mean really!
She repeatedly insists that she does not drink. Well if this ain't drunk then she is on some nasty meds! Care to share Paula???
She repeatedly insists that she does not drink. Well if this ain't drunk then she is on some nasty meds! Care to share Paula???
2008 New Year's Resoluation?
I've always wanted to start a blog. Sometimes I find my life to be quite interesting. The question is... Will anybody else?
I find my job provides an ample amount of entertaining stories that should be shared and in past I just forget them. I worked at a hotel in college and always joked that I could have written a book about all the crap that happened there, from plunging toilets for people (the most disgusting job ever), to nudists that liked to request items be brought to their rooms, to athletes breaking wall fixtures and not thinking we'd notice the large trail of blood leading back to their rooms. Of course, do I remember any of it now? Hell no! So this is also an attempt for me to document my daily entertainment so I can remember and so other's can enjoy!
Let me know what you think. Who knows what will happen with this. But its my 2008 resolution, so I should be able to keep it up for at LEAST a couple weeks!
I find my job provides an ample amount of entertaining stories that should be shared and in past I just forget them. I worked at a hotel in college and always joked that I could have written a book about all the crap that happened there, from plunging toilets for people (the most disgusting job ever), to nudists that liked to request items be brought to their rooms, to athletes breaking wall fixtures and not thinking we'd notice the large trail of blood leading back to their rooms. Of course, do I remember any of it now? Hell no! So this is also an attempt for me to document my daily entertainment so I can remember and so other's can enjoy!
Let me know what you think. Who knows what will happen with this. But its my 2008 resolution, so I should be able to keep it up for at LEAST a couple weeks!
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