15 Fun Facts About The M's

I'm jumping on The Feminist Breeder's bandwagon and having a little fun sharing the craziness that is my boys with my swarms (all 3 of you!) of readers...

1.  Big M.'s favorite food is red beans and rice.  Last year when Mr. EM and I were deep into the South Beach Diet and dragging the kids along with us, at least as far as dinner was concerned, I asked Big M. what he wanted for his birthday dinner.  Past birthdays have usually landed us in the nearest Taco Bell, but this time around he pleaded, "Can we PLEASE have red beans and rice and cornbread?  Please?!?!"  I had no idea he'd missed it so much.  He gave me a "Duh!" look and declared it to be his all-time favorite food.

2.  Every day when we pick up Little M. from school, the first sentence out of his mouth is, "What's for dinner tonight?"  Every.  Single.  Day.  When he's told what dinner is going to be, the second sentence out of his mouth is, "Do I like that?" 

3.  Both boys are prone to saying, " 'Ello, Govenor," when they walk into a room.  Once Big M. wrote it in large 4th grade boy handwriting on Little M.'s back.  It wasn't as cute as it sounds.

4.  Big M. slept through the night at 7 weeks.  Yes, SEVEN WEEKS.  It was wonderful.

5.   Little M. didn't sleep through the night until well past his 2nd birthday. It was not wonderful at all. Not even a little bit. It was one of the main reasons behind Mr. EM's vasectomy.

6.  Thanks to Netflix, Big M.'s all-time favorite TV show is The Addams Family. 

7.  Thanks to Netflix, Little M. has developed a healthy appreciation for the old Pink Panther cartoons.  I totally love my kids' quirky tastes in television viewing!

8.  Big M. has great balance.  He is totally comfortable on scooters, skateboards, roller blades, his bike, our roof, etc.  In fact, when he was 4, he INSISTED that Mr. EM take the training wheels off his bike because he didn't need them any more.  We were skeptical, but decided to give it a try.  Turned out he was totally ready.  A few months later at his 5th birthday party, he was thrilled to show off his new skill to his grandparents and they were thrilled to watch him...until his hit a pothole in the parking lot he was riding on and flipped over the handlebars.  Oh well.  A good bike wipeout happens to the best of us.

9.  Little M. will be 7 in May and has zero interest in taking the training wheels off his bike.  Zero.  He's as much of a daredevil as his brother on his scooter and skateboard, but riding a bike with no training wheels truly freaks him out.  Not sure what to do about that other than wait him out.  Thoughts?  Suggestions?

10. Both of my kids have terrible phone etiquette.  They get on the phone and seem to lose all sense of how to carry on a conversation or ask a simple question.  They speak in monotone, create awkward pauses and occasionally seem to lose all sense of who they're talking to.  I don't understand it.  We have tried to teach them proper phone skills, but they just don't seem to get it.  Don't even get me started on the sadness/hilarity of listening to them leave a voice mail.  It's so funny it's painful.

11. Big M.'s favorite bands are Green Day, Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance.  His favorite movie is School of Rock.  He likes to wear skinny jeans, Tony Hawk t-shirts, Converse All-Stars and his guitar string bracelet.

12. Little M.'s doesn't have a favorite band just yet, but some of his favorite songs are "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper, "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beatles and "Hard to Handle" by Otis Redding.  His favorite movie is The Cat in the Hat.  He likes to wear sweatpants, his Staunton Bulldogs sweatshirt, Spiderman socks and no shoes. 

13. The boys spend the better part of their days begging me to buy them Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Cookie Crips cereal and...of all things...clementines.  I only give in on the clementines.  (And sometimes the Oreos.)

14. They fight like cats and dogs.  They argue over who gets the computer/TV first, who left an empty cereal box in the pantry, who gets the last cookie, who has a funnier story to tell at dinner, who mixed up their Legos, who needs my attention the most, who has the smelliest feet, etc., etc., etc.

15. They bond over a mutual affection for weapons and bodily functions. 

They are mine and my life would be so dull without them...

This kid's gotta get out more...

Little M. has been invited to a Valentine party...a Valentine TEA party, to be precise. 

He doesn't like tea.

Did I tell her that?  He doesn't like tea and he doesn't want to drink it at the party. 

Did I tell her that?

The invitation came, via Facebook, a few weeks ago.  I didn't mention it to him right away.  When he knows of an upcoming event that he's not quite sure he's excited about, the questions and musings are relentless.  I waited until the party was just a week away, then I mentioned it. 

"Hey, Little M., you like to play at G, V and L's house, don't you?  Did you know that they are having a Valentine party next Saturday?  You're invited.  That'll be fun, won't it?"

He agreed that it would be fun, but wanted to know what they would be doing at the party.  Since I really didn't know, I just told him that everyone was bringing one special Valentine to be part of an exchange and there would be snacks.  He's always up for any event where snacks are served.  We talked about what he would need in order to make a special Valentine, and that was that. 

Until I screwed up.

A few days later I said, "Little M., I brought home some of the craft supplies you'll need to make your Valentine for the tea party."

DAMMIT!  I forgot to leave out the word "tea"!  Little M. has always, ALWAYS, had an unreasonable aversion to tea.  Hates it.  HATES IT.  I'd been doing so good, leaving out the fact that this was a "tea" party, and now I just blew it. 

"TEA PARTY?!?  I don't like tea.  I don't want to drink tea.  Did you tell V's mom that I don't like tea?  I don't want to go to a party if there is going to be tea there.  I don't like tea and I don't want to drink tea."

I tried, in vain, to reassure him that he would NOT have to drink tea at the party.  He was not to be swayed.  He did NOT like tea and he would NOT drink it and he did NOT want to go to a party if there was going to be tea there. 

Like I said, an UNREASONABLE aversion to tea.

A day later I was able to talk him down off the ledge.  "Little M., if you don't want to drink tea, no one is going to make you drink tea.  I will let V's mom know that you don't like tea.  I'm sure she'll have something besides tea to drink.  You don't want to miss out on a party with your friends just because there is going to be tea there, do you?  That would be silly.  We go to Aunt L.'s house every 4th of July for a fish fry even though we don't eat fish, don't we?  We still have a good time and there's always plenty of other things for us to eat.  Just forget about the tea and think about how nice it'll be to spend an afternoon with your friends."

He agreed and started coloring some hearts that I'd printed for him to glue onto his Valentine for the party. 

The next day I was hanging some recently washed coffee mugs on our pegs...

And I made another mistake, though my intentions were honorable.  Little M. was approaching meltdown mode over a homework paper, so in an attempt to distract him I said, "Hey, Little M., come here and choose which cup you're going to take to the tea party on Saturday." 

He gave me a "look".  He reminded me that he does NOT like tea and he's NOT going to drink tea so he does NOT need to take a cup to the party. 

I told him that invitation said to bring a favorite tea cup and even if he doesn't want to drink tea he should still bring a cup because surely he'll be drinking something.  I thought he'd want to do this part, we never let him even touch our coffee mugs because he has a habit of breaking them.  I thought for sure he'd choose Big M.'s Simpson's coffee mug. 

Instead, he said, "These aren't teacups.  They're coffee mugs."

Sigh...

I explained that we don't have any actual teacups except for the one with the broken handle that the cat drinks out of, so he should just choose one of our coffee mugs.  "You could take the one with Bart Simpson on it.  Or this one is from the Krispy Kreme store.  This one has a man playing a horn on it, Dad got that one at the Jazz Museum.  What about Mom's blue one with the peace signs?" 

He stared at the mugs, deep in thought.  "The brown one.  I want to take the brown one with the words on it.  Can you get it down for me so I can read it?  Then I'll know what it says when I get to the party and I can read it to everyone."

Sigh...

This is the one he's talking about:

What ensued was a good 20 minutes of discussion as to why this is not an appropriate mug to take to a Valentine tea party for children, with Mr. EM giggling in the background and not being the slightest bit helpful.  The discussion ended with Little M. skulking out of the room saying, "Fine.  I'll just take the stupid blue mug with the stupid peace signs on it."

And now the party has been postponed until next Saturday, so we have another week to get through before this whole ordeal is over. 

Sigh...



Just a little meme for sh*ts and giggles...

Stole this from a new-to-me commenter, Jean.  Seeing as how Mr. EM is one of my favorite blog subjects, I thought this one would be fun to do.  And, yes, I know I've been really absent from my blog lately.  I have lots of posts swirling about in my head, but very little time or motivation to organize them into something readable.  Maybe I'll work on that in 2012...and maybe not.  So, satisfy yourself with this for now...

What are your middle names?
Kaye and Gordon

♥ How long have you been together?
Together for 15 years, married for 13

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met in August of '96 and hung out as friends until October of that same year.

♥ Who asked who out?
There was never really a formal "asking-out".  He was invited to a wedding that he felt he needed to attend, but didn't want to attend alone.  I volunteered to go with him. 

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm a few weeks away from my 40th birthday.  He just turned 42.

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
My brother.  He keeps in touch with his 3 sisters via text message and Facebook, but they all live in Florida and Virginia so we don't see them much at all.  He saw one of his sisters last year when he travelled to Florida, but it's been years since we've seen the other two.  His family is kind of nuts in a hyper-religious-Republican kind of way and there's all kinds of crazy backstory stuff going on there that Mr. EM would just as soon stay away from.  I agree.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Two boys, ages 11 and 6.  Mr. EM has a son, age 21, from a previous marriage.  He lives in Germany, we don't see much of him at all. 

♥ What about pets?
Just a cat at the moment and she is the sweetest, easiest pet either of us has ever had the pleasure of living with.  We've had dogs and cats together throughout the years, we're both "pet people".  I'm sure we'll get another dog someday, today just isn't that day.  I highly doubt tomorrow will be either.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Raising the boys.  The issues that I'm willing to let slide are the issues that make him the most tense and vice/versa.  I have a more relaxed approach, it's a lot easier for me to ignore their obnoxious behavior and as long as no one is injured during their disagreements I stay out of it.  Mr. EM seems to lack the ignoring gene and their minor disagreements drive him right up a wall.  On the other hand, I will not tolerate them getting in trouble at school, being lazy about school work and Mr. EM is less rigid in that regard.  This imbalance has caused a lot of strife in our relationship over the years. 

♥ Did you go to the same school?
No.  I was born and raised in a small Illinois town.  He was born about 150 miles north of there, but moved around a lot as a kid, ultimately graduating from high school in Florida.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
See above question...

♥ Who is smarter?
I think he is.  I always took school very seriously, made good grades, earned a degree.  He did none of those things, but I truly think he is the smarter one.  I don't know if he'd agree or not, and I'm not willing to find out!

♥ Who is more sensitive?
Me, though I've learned that he is more sensitive than I've given him credit for in the past.  Maybe he's becoming more sensitive as he gets older or something.  I've seen a much more vulnerable side of him over the last couple of years.  I like it.  He doesn't.  Men.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Usually Thai food, because that's become his favorite in recent years and I'm usually so happy to just get out of the house that I'll go wherever he wants.  However, we both love trying new places and will give any restaurant with lots of vegetarian options and good reviews a chance.  I do try to steer us away from pizza when we're out without the kids because pizza is usually what we get when the boys are with us.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Orlando, Florida, for his cousin's wedding. 

♥ Who has the worse temper?
This used to be a definitive "HIM!"  Now, not so much.  Age, stress and parenting have brought out a rather ugly part of me and I now find myself flying off the handle on occasion too.  His fuse is much, much shorter than mine so he will go from zero to pissed-off in no time flat.  I'm more of a stewer.  I'll take something and take it and take it for a while before I reach my boiling point and then...watch out.  I can also say, though, that we are both trying to watch our tempers better and sometimes we even succeed.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do almost all of the cooking.  It used to be more 50/50 when Little M. was a baby and wouldn't tolerate being out of my arms for more than 10 minutes, but now it's pretty much all me.  I don't mind it.  I've even come to enjoy it most of the time and I really like seeking out new, healthy recipes that we'll enjoy.  He does all the clean-up, so I can't complain for sure!

♥ Who is more social?
This is an odd dynamic in our relationship...one that bugs me just a little.  I am by far the more social of the two, but he is the one with the more active social life.  My friends are spread out all over the state and the only good friend I have that lives in my town works completely opposite hours from me, so I have very few opportunities to socialize.  His friends are mostly local and they plan a lot of road trips together, as well as get together for concerts and bonfires every so often.  It's frustrating for me sometimes because he craves his alone time and I'm just DYING for some social interactions, but that's just the way it is around here.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
Me.  Always me.  Though I have to qualify this by saying that keeping things "neat" and keeping them "clean" are 2 different things.  I don't care if there's an inch of dust on the book shelf as long as all the books are put away neatly.  I keep my kitchen and bathrooms truly clean, but if it weren't for Mr. EM the rest of the house would be neat but filthy.

♥ Who is more stubborn?
I think we're about even here.  We are both pretty flexible people and we work hard to compromise so as not to argue, but when we dig in our heels there is no budging either of us.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
Neither.  We sleep very harmoniously. 

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Him.  Even when he can sleep late he is usually unable.  Sometimes this bothers him, but most of the time he's fine with being up early in a quiet house.  It's rarely quiet for long, though.  Little M. is an early riser too.

♥ Where was your first date?
Technically, the wedding he felt compelled to attend is the first time we went out together.  However, we consider our first date to be the following day when we went to a small music festival together.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
He has more siblings, but I have a much larger extended family.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No.  *sigh*  Mr. EM is not much of a romantic and he thinks cut flowers are a silly gift because of their short lifespan.  On the one hand, I agree, but the feminine side of me wouldn't mind a small bouquet every once in a while. 

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between his mom's and my family.  It's the best way to do things so that the grandparents get equal time with our kids, but I miss my family a lot when we're not with them.  Holidays at his mom's are very quiet, it's just us and her and her husband.  I prefer a more festive occasion.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Not long at all.  After that first date we started hanging out pretty much every night.  We said, "I love you," within a month of dating and were talking marriage just a few months after that.  We moved in together before we'd been dating a year.  When you know, you know!

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
I do.  All of it.  The sorting, the pre-treating, the washing, the drying, the folding.  The boys put their own laundry away, but I put away all of ours.  I am very OCD about laundry and Mr. EM, god love him, just doesn't do it right.  It's ok.  He does plenty of other household chores around here.  I'm cool with handling the laundry.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
He is.  I can do everything I want to do on a computer and I have no desire to learn more.  He finds technology fascinating and throws himself into learning more about it. 

♥ Who drives when you are together?
He does.  All the time.  He loves to drive.  I don't.  We're a good team.

Family pictures

I've wanted to have some family pictures taken for a while, but for a variety of reasons we've never gotten around to it.  Those reasons would be:

1. Stepson hasn't been here to visit since 2008.  In my opinion, a family picture should include the WHOLE family.  Otherwise, what's the point?  Mr. EM finally said that we should just have the pictures done and we can always have them done again the next time we see Stepson. 

2. Quality photographers are EXPENSIVE, unless you know one personally.  We do not have a lot of money to pay for a quality photographer and, until recently, we did not know one personally.

3. What to wear?  Where to have these pictures taken?  What time of year to do this?  Yes, these silly questions boggled my mind.  I'm not a fan of those family pictures where everyone is all matchy-matchy and I do not like stiff, posed pictures taken at some place we'd never visit unless it was because someone told us we had to go there in our matchy-matchy clothes to get our pictures taken.  Time of year is somewhat of a no-brainer, fall is my favorite season.  BUT, fall is so busy...not just for us, but for everyone.  Trying to coordinate a time/place/outfit with the weather and schedules of all parties involved?  Well, it caused me to just put the whole family picture idea on the back burner to be looked at again at some later date.

Until...

Mr. EM came home one day last fall and said that the secretary where he works takes pictures as a hobby and had offered to do some family portraits for us if we were interested.  He took the liberty of telling her we were interested and they set a date and location.  We were to meet her that following weekend at a local park.  My OCD kicked in big time and I started scouting all of our closets, looking for clothes that looked nice together but weren't all matchy-matchy.  I ended up having to buy something new for Little M., but after that we were ready to go. 

And then it rained that weekend.  All. Weekend. Long.  No big deal, we rescheduled for the following weekend. 

And then our photographer's aunt died.  So, we rescheduled for the following weekend. 

And then her camera broke.

Are you kidding me with this shit?

And it was going to cost her $600 to either fix or replace it and she didn't have that kind of money so the project was put on hold indefinitely. 

*sigh*

Fast forward to this October...I mentioned the pictures to Mr. EM, he said he'd mention them again to the secretary, and he actually DID in a timely manner!  A date was set for the following weekend.  I suggested the nature preserve where the boys go to camp every summer, he liked that idea better than the local park she had suggested last year.  I checked out our closets in advance and found that no one needed any new clothes.  Could it be that this was actually going to happen? 

Yes!  It did, in fact, happen.  She brought her son with her and they both snapped pictures of us in a few different locations for over an hour.  The results, minus the fact that Stepson is missing, are beyond what I was hoping for.  I'm sharing some of my favorites below...just don't link my parents or MIL to this blog or you'll be ruining part of their holiday gifts.

(Yeah, this was how they were feeling by the time all was said and done.) 

So, all in all, Mr. EM and I are very, very pleased.  I love that she got some really nice shots that will make great gifts for the grandparents, but more than that I love that she captured our family perfectly.  In my opinion, that's what makes a really good photographer and I think it really helped that she knows us personally.  Made all the difference in the world with how comfortable the boys (and, truth be told, Mr. EM) were with this whole undertaking.   

Here's hoping she'll be willing to tackle us again the next time Stepson comes to visit...

Sure, it's just a meme, but at least I'm posting again!

It's been a while.  Autumn is always a busy time for us, but I've also been going through some "stuff", not feeling the whole blog thing, just wanting to hide away for a bit.  I can't say that I'll be posting regularly again, but it does feel good to get back on here.  Even though I haven't been posting, I have still been reading blogs and occasionally commenting, which brings me to this meme.  I'm indulging Maria by playing her iPod game...

Take out your ipod. Put on random selection.

FIRST song that appears answers the question. 

1) Describe your childhood
Alive by Pearl Jam

Why, yes, I was alive during my childhood.  As a matter of fact, I'm alive right now.  Does that make me forever young?

2) What was your first crush like?

Dead Flowers, covered by Jerry Lee Lewis

Hmmm...that fits my first high school boyfriend better than my first crush.

3) What was high school like for you?

Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin

Aren't all high schools pretty much full of fools? 

4) What was college like for you?

Rent, from the original Broadway Cast Recording

College is when I first started paying rent, interesting.

5) Describe your first paying job.

Melt My Heart to Stone by Adele

My first paying job was baby-sitting, so this doesn't really fit, but my first job with a real paycheck and boss and such was at a Dairy Queen.  Those hot Illinois summers made keeping the soft serve in that drive-thru frozen a tough job!

6) Describe your current job.

Wishing It Was by Santana, featuring Eagle Eye Cherry

A lot of wishing comes with the territory of my job...wishing parents gave a damn about their kids, wishing these kids would see what they could become of they would try to rise above their circumstances, wishing administration would take over my classroom for just one hour to see just what it is I actually do on a daily basis, wishing the government would realize that it's so much more important to fund education instead of war...

7) Describe your boss or closest co-worker.

Cold Hearted by the Zac Brown Band

This one doesn't fit at all.  My boss is scatter-brained and unreliable, but not cold hearted.  My co-workers are some of the warmest people I know.

8) What do your siblings think about you?

Sao Paolo by Arrested Development

Wait...why is this still on my iPod?  I thought I took this off.  Hmm...

9) What do your friends think of you?

House in Motion by Talking Heads

All of my friends are moms.  All of our houses are in constant motion. 

10) What do you think of your friends?

She Gave Good Sunflower by the Black Crowes

If by "sunflower" you mean time, advice, laughs...then, yes.  This fits.

11) Describe your first kiss.

What Comes Around by the Beastie Boys

Interesting...

12)Describe your first sexual experience

Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts by Bob Dylan

I don't even know what to say about this one...I swear, none of those people were there.

13) Describe your first date

When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky by Bob Dylan

Why, yes, I do have a lot of Bob Dylan on my iPod.  And my first date was at night. 

14) What did you think the first time you met your current love?

Done Somebody Wrong by the Allman Brothers Band

Well, I was already tiring of my current boyfriend when I met Mr. EM.  Technically I hadn't done him wrong yet, but I certainly planned to after meeting the man I would eventually marry!

15) What did your partner think the first time he/she saw you?

Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks

Actually, that's incorrect.  He's told me that he thought, "Nice legs," the first time he saw me.

16) What do you think of your current love now?

Easy Wind by the Grateful Dead

Most of the time, it is pretty easy.

17) What does your current partner think of you now?

Fruits of My Labor by Lucinda Williams

I think that's pretty accurate.  Mr. EM did not fall into the whole domesticated family man routine easily, but now that he's there he's pretty darn happy and glad that he did.

18) What describes your love life now?

Funky Boss by the Beastie Boys

LOL!!!  And, that's all I'm going to say about that.

19) What do you look like in the morning?

Doors Unlocked and Open by Death Cab for Cutie

Um...no.  Not in this neighborhood. 

20) How do you see your life right now?

Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

I used to day-dream that I would have a wonderful husband and some happy, healthy children.  Lo and behold, that's what I have.  Yay, me!

21) Describe yourself.

Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons

Um...well, I'm not a man.  I'm not a lion.  I'm not little.  I think the iPod misunderstood the question. 

Ok...your turn. Turn those ipods to shuffle...

Last night I fell for a gay man...hard.

The last meme I did was an "if you could" kind of thing.  I wasn't able to accurately answer one of the questions, #5...If you could have dinner with a celebrity, who would you choose?  This wasn't the first time I've been asked that question and I've never been able to definitely answer it.

 For starters, I'm so star-struck in general that I'd be honored to sit down to dinner with ANY celebrity.  (For the record, I'm talking real celebrities here.  Not Jersy Shore-Kardashian-Real Housewives-Etc. kind of non-celebrity celebrities.) If I have the opportunity to eat a meal with Oprah or Brad Pitt or Judi Dench or Jim Carrey or Janet Jackson or Tony Bennett or who-the-hell-ever, I'm tucking in at that table for sure.  So what if I have nothing to say to them?  It's a cool, never-again kind of experience and I wouldn't pass it up, no matter who it was. 

Secondly, I'm the queen of celebrity crushes.  Years ago there was a Friends episode where they were talking about their "Top 5" celebrity crushes...well, I'm that girl who can never limit herself to just 5.  There are way too many hotties out there on my TV and in the movies for me to limit myself to lusting after just 5.  And, honestly, I can't really imagine eating dinner with any of them because I'd be too nervous to eat and I just know I'd say something totally stupid and ruin the night.  Not to mention, a fantasty is a wonderful thing because it's a fantasy.  I'd hate to learn that Brad Pitt chews with his mouth open or that Rob McElhenny is as horribly obnoxious as his Always Sunny character.  Best to leave the hotties in Fantasyland where they'll always be hot and there will never be spinach in their teeth or inappropriate belching at the dinner table.

Well, last night it finally hit me who I'd absolutely LOVE to eat dinner with and I'm a little surprised and disappointed with myself for not coming up with him sooner. Not sure he's a true "celebrity" by definition, but he is well-known. My celebrity dinner date would be Dan Savage, of Savage Love fame. 

Mr. EM and I have been reading Savage Love for years now, and we both love it.  Dan is funny and smart and he offers his readers advice, acceptance and peace of mind.  Of course the salaciousness of his subject matter is what draws you in, but the strength and kindness and guidance of his words is what keeps you coming back.  I've always considered myself a pretty open-minded person, but at any given time I can find myself shocked by a question someone has sent in for Dan to answer...like open-mouthed, gasping SHOCKED.  But then I read Dan's advice to this person and I no longer feel the shock of the question, instead I feel the uncertainty and fear of the person who asked it.  As strange as this sounds, regularly reading a sex advice column has made me a more open-minded person and I have Dan Savage to thank for that.  In addition to Savage Love, Dan has also written some great books and he and his partner founded the It Gets Better project.  He's just always struck me as an all-around cool guy.

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Dan speak at a nearby college.  I almost didn't go.  It had been a long, lousy day at work and I had stayed up too late the night before and was feeling pretty tired.  However, I'd never had the opportunity to see an author/journalist/columnist-type person speak before and I knew I'd kick myself if I didn't go, especially since it was FREE and only 20 minutes from my house.  I chugged a cup of coffee and headed out.  I'm so glad I did.  In person, Dan is like Savage Love to the Nth degree, and I mean that in a good way.  He just leaned on a podium for two hours, taking questions from the audience and answering them in his non-judgmental, intelligent, hilarious way.  He also had a lot of incredibly kind and thought-provoking things to say and I could have sat there and listened to him speak well past 9:00 pm.  I, a straight and happily-married Midwestern woman, found myself completely smitten with a gay and happily-attached guy from the Pacific Northwest.  Not in a "OMG, he's so HAWT" kind of way, but in a "holy crap, I totally love and agree with every single thing he's saying and I never want him to stop talking" kind of way. 

So, that's that...if I could have dinner with a celebrity, I'd be all over eating a meal with Dan Savage.  I'd try to come up with a really good question to bring to the table, something that would really get him rolling and then I'd just sit back, sip my wine, nibble my food and bask in his words.

Bon Appetit, gentle readers...



"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstein

It felt strange to let today pass without posting something, but I wasn't sure what.  Then this song came on my iPod while we were driving home from MIL's.  This song sums up how I feel about this 10th anniversary.  The quote in the title sums up how I've been feeling ever since this day in 2001.  I hope you spent today with loved ones and felt a sense of hope for yourself, for our country and for the world.