Wedding Bells in Rhode Island & Paris

I find it ironic that the state I grew up in just passed a gay marriage bill and the progressive state I moved to as an adult is still fighting that battle.

Well, I guess that a state that was established by a guy that thought the puritans were a little to puritanical.  Roger Williams sought religious freedom, leaving England and arriving in the new world, Boston to be exact in 1631.  He ended up actually purchasing the land that is now The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from the native indians.  Imagine that.  Jews, quakers, and any other persecuted for their religious beliefs ended up here.  I can't be sure but I think a guy that believed in complete religious toleration, separation of church and state, and political democracy might just believe in equal rights for all.

So Rhode Island hats off to you and to all my friends still there - get married.  Show the world that your marriage does not affect anybody but you.

Then there is France!  In spite of very small but vocal opposition they have also passed a law allowing gay marriage and making it legal for gay people to adopt children.  Imagine that.  Some crazy people want to adopt children and give them a home and love them  How crazy is that?

Well California what the fuck is wrong with you?  The rest of America I ask the same question.  Supreme Court don't wimp out and make no decision.  Make a decision that gives people that love each other the opportunity to get married and end up divorced like over 50% of the straight people that get married in this country.

Hands free

Today I drove to work and cursed my entire way. I do not understand traffic flow. I don't understand the guy driving the big truck who got a blow out and looked like he was going to walk out into the middle lane to pick up the pieces of that big tire.

Another thing I don't understand is the guy in the $130 thousand dollar car that can't be hands free when using his cell phone. I don't get it. A Maserati and they don't have hands free? Come on really? Even the little 20K ford I'm thinking about has hands free technology. Maybe that guy made the wrong choice in automobiles.

I Heart Boston

I am in shock about the bombing in Boston. A part of me does not want to believe it is true. I am not sure what upsets me most. The murders? The assaults? The hurt?

I feel like some sort of innocence has been ripped from our very hearts.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I have memories of the Boston marathon. I have been in Boston on Patriots Day and watched thousands run by me.

Perhaps it is because I knew people there. A woman I grew up with ran with a time of 3:52 and crossed that line just minutes prior to the bombs going off?

Perhaps it is the thought of Katie and Kim and their families there watching their uncle cross the finish line, being so close.

I feel different than on 9/11 or maybe it is just that time has passed and I have forgotten what I actually felt that day.

I think that is a bad thing. I think we all need to remember how we feel on these days. I think we need to remember it all the time, not just when something else bad happens.

In my head I am a runner. I run marathons. I run really fast. I run and I run and I run. Perhaps it is time I run for real. Perhaps it is time for all of us to run. Go out in public, run a marathon because if we stop running or stop going to see other people run, they win and I don't want that. I say we all run the Boston Marathon next year or at least be at the finish line to cheer those that really run and not let the bad guys win.

Fuck you cowardly bomber. I wish that the tv people would stop talking about it. Not because I want anyone to forget or not care. But because for some reason I think whoever did this is getting off on the coverage. Sitting at home jerking off and feeling so smug.

My heart goes out to everyone in Boston yesterday and my heart aches that some cowardly act has changed our world forever.

Flowers for Jolie

Every year at this time I call The Secret Garden in Jamestown, Rhode Island. I call to have flowers delivered to a grave. The first year that I did this was nine years ago and it was a strange thing to do. The people at The Secret Garden were very nice. They really must get this type of request often because it did not seem to phase them.

I can say that it phased me that first time and it phases me now. I still have a very difficult time making this phone call, but I do it. Every year, I call and ask what kind of spring flowers they have. Sometimes I do cut flowers and sometimes a plant. This year I selected a basket of bulbs in bloom. Whoever I speak to at the Secret Garden is always helpful and never comments at what I put on card.

I know what they look like, because every year I get a picture of them sent to my phone. I don't live close enough to go see for myself, a brother that grieves takes a photo and sends it to me.

I believe that death is not the end of anything, yet that still does not make my heart hurt less on April 11th.

Happy Birthday, my friend. I miss you and hope you are somewhere grand.

Into this world

On Friday afternoon our friend Hairdresser Girl went into labor with her first child.

We have all been awaiting the arrival of this little baby for months, well, nine months to be exact.

So Friday afternoon the water broke and it was off to the hospital later that evening.

We - me, my beloved and Chief Matron Mare-son got on the road to the hospital to sit in the waiting room and give our moral support.

We went into see Hairdresser Girl she had just been given an epidural and things were moving along quite well. She went from being dilated to 6 cm to 10 in the blink of an eye.

My beloved suggested that I go and stay with the happy couple (Hairdresser girl and her husband). I was not sure I should go, but she said go and he said go. So I went.

I hung out at the top of the bed, holding her back during contractions and telling her to push and what a great job she was doing. I was told I should look at what was going on, I declined a couple of times and then took a stroll down to the end of the bed.

I saw a little tiny head trying to get out and quickly went back to the top of the bed.

The mom pushed for a couple of hours and as to be expected she got really tired.

Finally a final round started and the mom was ready to get that baby out.

One more push and out popped a little tiny bundle of joy. There were a couple of tense moments before he started to breathe. He had to be taken into the NIC unit for a little bit to clear out his lungs, but soon he was right as rain.

I gotta say that I do not understand how any woman actually chooses to have more than one child. The first one she probably does not really know what she is getting into, but to do it again? That is just crazy talk.

It was an amazing time and I am so overwhelmed to have been a part of it.

And for those that don't think I have a heart, I actually did tear up. Of course it was when the nurse asked if I was the grandmother, but there were a couple of tears.