Green

My sister just posted about the trip she and my brother took with their class to see the turtles and I'm so jealous I could just burst.


My butt sticks to the toilet seat every morning it's so cold here and they are chasing turtles on the beaches of Mexico. My dad is wearing shorts for goodness sake. Shorts.


I'm reading Anna Karenina - but I got the book used and the idiotic notes the previous owner wrote in the margins are distracting.

Stephanie and I had a sister night on Saturday which was equal parts awesome (giggling and Thai food) and disgusting (volume of ice-cream consumed while in bed watching law and order).

From the banks of the Mississippi to the Banks of the Allegheny

I'm finally and thankfully back home. I rounded out my trip to Memphis with a trip to the Lorraine Motel/National Civil Rights Museum where Dr. King was shot. The museum was intense and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go. Then I headed over to Beale St. to get some BBQ and fried green tomatoes at one of the blues clubs.

Yesterday jb picked me up from the airport and we went to the Queer dinner at the Gypsy Cafe. We were both pretty tired, but it is always a good time at these dinners. I even got a tarot card reading. The best part of the day by far, though was getting into my own bed and snuggling to sleep.

I have today off since I worked over the weekend. No big plans for the day beyond drinking hot cocoa and wearing sweatpants. It is cold and snowing out and I've got no reason to leave the house. Works out well.

Walking in Memphis

Most everyone has seen images of marchers with signs stating simply, "I am a Man," but most people don't realize that they are striking sanitation workers. I'm in Memphis for work. I'm attending the AFL-CIO's MLK observance. This year is the 4o years since King's death here in Memphis where he was supporting the sanitation workers' strike. The speakers have been really incredible - Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, James Lawson, Jesse Epps, sanitation workers who led the strike...it has been really inspiring. It's odd to think that I will most likely be the last generation to hear these stories from the mouths of people who were there.

The trip has been good. Early mornings, full days, then back to my hotel room with just enough energy to order room service and check e-mail. Still, I've gotten to spend time with some people I haven't seen in a while, I only had one political training to facilitate, and the hotel is nice. I am surprised by how cold it is here. I guess in my mind any thing below the mason-dixon line is tropical - but I've been shivering over the last couple of days since we've had to spend quite a bit of time outside. Last night there was a candlelit vigil and today we did community service cleaning up graffiti and picking up trash. Even though it has been a good trip, I can't wait to get home. I miss jb so much when I'm gone.

V-Day

jb and I went to see the Vagina Monologues at the City Theater today. We've seen it performed by many a college group, but this was our first time seeing it done by a professional theater. It was really well-done and made me nostalgic for our college days. I was in Pitt's performance of the Vagina Monologues in 2002 (and jb was in the audience). The Pitt News printed this article about my performance (thankfully the unflattering photo accompanying the article at the time seems to be lost) which mortified me. I wasn't embarrassed to be in the show, I just felt that the article was sensationalistic and awful. The Pitt News had a tendency to make me feel that way...a lot. I won't even begin to get into the article they wrote about our workshop on sex toy safety for World Aids Week that almost led to the University getting it's funding pulled. I guess they have to go with what will sell free papers. And for the record, I really did wear a tube top made entirely of red latex tape - oh to be in college again.

Anyway, the performance at the City theater was a welcome treat when most of our dates have consisted of trips to pick up groceries - it was nice to escape to see a show. I can't remember the last time jb and I went to the theater. The theater was packed with mostly women and the audience was really responsive, laughing, gasping, nodding and giggling. I highly recommend attending - it will be at the City Theater through Feb. 17th and if you mention "blog" when you call you can get $5 off your ticket! (412.431.2489) Do it! It's fun!

And then there was one

I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first? The bad news? Ok - the bad news is that we are down to only one kitten. On the bright side, the good news is that we are down to only one kitten.

Two of the kittens and the mom are ready for adoption and they stayed at the humane society after our last vet appointment. I was really sad to see them go, but our home could certainly use the break. When they first arrived they were so small - they would wobble around for a little while and then nap for hours. Well, a couple of weeks ago they hit their troublemaker age and it just seemed like there were kittens EVERYWHERE! On my pant leg, in the curtains, balancing on the edge of the turtle tank, under my feet... When we tried to go to sleep we would hear them bounding from one end of the house to the other. And my plants - oh my poor plants. Apparently kittens have a deep rooted hate for all plants. They chew them, scratch them, climb them, dig them up, pee in the big ones, and knock over the little ones. They were driving me insane - luckily they were also adorable. I hope they all find good homes with lots of cuddling.

I finally managed to set up my "vanity" in my bedroom. On my side of the bed is the window wall of our bedroom - which we've dressed with lovely sheer curtains. To the left of the windows I put up a mirror that I painted to match our accent wall and a glass shelf. The shelf hold all my "lady" products and earrings and the mirror has hooks where I hung my necklaces. The mirror was put up with mighty putty (it finally came!) and the shelf is held up with gorilla glue (I tried the mighty putty, but it just ended up pulling the plaster our of the wall. To the left of my new beautifying area I hung the piece I painted on one of the wooden shelves of our old closet. Now I just need to organize the rest of our bedroom.

why is chuck norris standing behind mike huckabee?


Oh, this is why.



Duh.

but the hills of iowa make me wish that I could

I'm couch bound this evening (I suffered the same fate as my last DC trip and have brutal blisters) which is just as well because Kalina brought home a DVD of the L word premiere and we watched it with take out from Chipotle. The sneak preview would have been more exciting if I'd seen season 4 - but Netflix has been on the back burner lately. Still, I know all the secrets that most people won't know until...Sunday.

Now we are just waiting to see how the Iowa caucus turns out. So far it's looking like Obama and Huckabee. Fascinating.

Hopefully my poor feet will be well enough by tomorrow to not make my commute home miserable.

Obama, it's official. You heard it here first, folks.*



*if you heard it here first, well, that's just pathetic.

Happy New Year!

We had a great time last night. We played outburst, drank champagne, and ate the awesome food Ehrrin prepared. It was a great way to welcome the new year. jb wore the hat I got her for Christmas and looked absolutely adorable. I'm really looking forward to another year together.

This morning I slept in until the early afternoon and nursed a slight hangover. Thank goodness for soy milk hot cocoa.

Tomorrow I'm heading to DC for work. It's quick trip and I'll be back on Friday. Thankfully Kalina is letting me crash on her couch (part of the agreement for me to work from home was that I would find my own place to stay when in DC) which I'm looking forward to immensely.