Mah’s Neighborhood

I believe when people die, that their spirit is absorbed into the universe, just as god intended*. My mom, my best friend, my grand dad....

On a nightly basis, (usually when I take the dogs out) I look up at the sky, see all of those stars and realize that the number of familiar spirits is increasing. It makes me sad, but it also makes me incredibly curious. 

I say hello to them all, say a little prayer and wonder what it's like for them out there....

(*not really the catholic way, but consider this yet another example of why I am not a good catholic.)

"...approve R-71, so all those that signed the petition can stay in the closet that the gays have abandoned..." (or something like that)

Here in Washington State, our legislature enacted the "Everything But Marriage" law last spring. Basically, same-sex couples, and unmarried (hetero AND homo) couples over 62, have the same rights as married couples, except for the technicality of being "married". Insurance, medical, inheritance, etc...

An anti-gay group wanted to overturn the law, so a referendum is on the ballot for us to vote on next week. We will be voting to approve (uphold) the new law, or reject it.

In order to get a referendum on our ballots, a certain number of signatures are gathered, turned in, confirmed and approved, and THEN it can be placed on the ballot.

Typically those signatures are public record.

However, instigators of the attempt to overturn the law want to block the release of those signatures. Basically, it's a list of people who support biblical marriage and do not support marriage/union/rights of gays. Here's what Wiki says...

"Some individuals and a group called WhoSigned.org requested these signatures for the Referendum 71 ballot application. Protect Marriage Washington filed to block the release of these signatures, "arguing that, due to the highly charged nature of the topic of Referendum 71, (domestic partnerships, gay rights, the traditional definition of marriage, etc.) that the personal information on the petitions for Referendum 71 warrant particular protection."

I find that ironic. A group who thinks that gays do not deserve the same protections under the law as heteros are feeling threatened and therefore need protection. Hello? 

I'm sorry, but not only do I find that ironic, I find that taking the easy way out. I don't really understand the whole reasoning about this being an 'attack' on 'marriage', but if you're going to come out and say that another couple does not deserve the same rights/protections as you because of who they are, you'd better put your name to it.

For what it's worth, the impression I get is that the gay discrimination groups are not going to get their wish... even a group called the "mainstream republicans" are supporting the law and the referendum.

A long time ago, I signed up for match.com. I'm talking YEARS ago... like 7 or 8 years. The account is still there but my profile is not visible. But I've just left it sit there for the most part.

At the time I was dating back then, I did manage to find someone reasonable on the site to date for a lengthy amount of time. And for the most part, the guys were nice or at least relatively normal. But I have been over the novelty of online dating for quite a few years. I think the rest of the 'normal' people in my region are too, because what's on that site nowadays is downright scary. At least in my area, in my age bracket.

Match must have changed their email settings because over the past couple of weeks I've been getting these "here are your matches for the day!" emails. I never used to get these.

All I have to say is what the hell are these guys on? Look at who they sent me over the past few days*....

Hi y'all, it's me again on me soapbox.

It's Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month!

Learn CPR! You'll never know when someone may go into cardiac arrest (that's why it's "sudden"), and will need your help to survive. (Technically, learning how to use an AED is much better, but CPR can help until someone arrives with the portable machine. Anything is better than nothing.)

And no pun intended, but this issue is near and dear to my heart ever since learning about the heart disease in my family. I'm being selfish in my request to get y'all to learn CPR. It increases the chance of someone like my kid surviving a SCA. And you never know.... someone in your family may have heart disease and not even know it. Wouldn't you want to do your very best to ensure their chance of survival if they have an SCA event in your presence? Learn CPR.

There. Did I lay the guilt on thick enough? ;) I am a mother you know....

Today is my mom's funeral. I want to scratch everyone's eyes out – I am so pissed off at everything. And it's pms time too. Yeefuckinghaw.

Yesterday I took the kid and his girlfriend to lunch at the ONLY Puerto Rican restaurant in Seattle – in western washington too, I think. The irony is that it's located in Ballard, which is a huge Norweigan pocket of town.

Anyway... I completely went off my diet plan for that day. I planned to though, so I'm not upset about it. I am not going to go to a corner of heaven and not indulge. I had some awesome pollo guisado, and now I want to know how to make it. I tried to make flan the other day and it turned out awful.

Sometimes I wish I had a little Puerto Rican mother somewhere that I could call up to teach me these things. My mother didn't teach me a damn thing about anything other than "don't ever set yourself up to have to depend on a man". That's all she taught me.

Well okay, I guess that makes up for it. :)

Well, okay. Not accosted, but it felt like it. I met the mayor of my little town today.

But it wasn't all mayoral or anything. It was actually kind of creepy, like in a stalker way.

I was in the back seat of my car, upside down or soemthing similar, trying to fix something that came apart. My position  looked somewhat compromising, that I can assure you. Then some lady (not the mayor) comes up to my door, bends over into the car and says, "Hi I'm Pamela SomethingOrOther. I didn't want to scare you."

Well you did lady, thanks. You scared the shit out of me, because I'm strewn across the back seat of my car, sort of upside down and the last thing I expect is for some woman to come right up to my door and start getting in my face.

I looked at her, upside down, and just started at her. I honestly did not know WTF she was standing there for, or why she was talking to me.

She repeated herself twice more, with that same creepy voice and zombie-like facial expression. By that time I had righted myself, and was half in the car and half out, trying to figure out what the hell she wanted, when she says "I'm blah blah blah blah and here's mister mayor."

And around the car comes mister mayor. And he starts off on all these things about our little town that he's in support of (I didn't vote for him last time by the way) and asks me if I have any questions for him.

WTF? I'm standing there with shit all over my hands, hot and sweaty and dirty and you came up to ME. Your little assistant there scared the shit out of me. Do I LOOK like I want to have a conversation right now?

All I said was that no, I don't have any questions I'm just trying to fix my car. 

Such a weird exchange, and not one that really is going to help him get my vote.

And by the way, that man is TINY. He looks like a hobbit.