Juggling Life

Overheard Around The Protest March

I bought a big bag of grapes to nourish us as we walked.

Social Butterfly (horrified): There's something wrong with these grapes!

Bugs (confused): Yeah, they really don't seem right.

Me (disgusted): What is this? It's like there's something in them.

OMomK (bemuses): Umm, I think they're seeded grapes.

Turns out that neither SB or Bugs have ever had a seeded grape and it's been so long for me that I didn't even remember there was such a thing.

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Parade Volunteers: What do we want?

Everyone: Equal rights!

Parade Volunteers: When do we want them?

Everyone: Now!

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One of the volunteers was speaking to the marchers.

Volunteer: There's some Yes on 8 people ahead. Remember we don't want to engage anyone.

It turns out to be about 3 people standing on the next corner.

Volunteer (sort of to herself, but I was close enough to hear her): I don't know what the hell happened to the rest of the 52%!

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Everyone: Separate (beat) Church and State!

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It was a rather warm day in San Diego last Saturday--probably about 90.

SB: It's hot, it's really hot. I'm thirsty. It's hot.

Me (to Bugs and OMomK): Just in case you hadn't noticed, SB is informing everyone that it's hot.

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Gay! Straight! Black! White! Marriage is a Civil Right!

Letter to the Editor and a Few Photos

I am so proud of San Diego--the biggest turnout in the nation. Laid back who? (photo from the San Diego Union Tribune).

I'm also proud of this girl:

 

The following is a letter I've sent to the San Diego Union Tribune. I'll let you know if it gets published.

I am a heterosexual woman, married for 21 years and the mother of four children. My life, and my marriage, is about as “traditional” as can be. My youngest daughter, 14, and I were among the thousands who marched on Saturday in protest of the passage of Proposition 8.

I marched because when I hear people say things like the quote from Janae Perez in Sunday’s article about the march, “We simply believe in traditional marriage” I want to cry in frustration. In my lifetime traditional marriage in many states would not have included interracial marriage. Should we have held to that tradition?

When people say, as the article states, that “those wanting to support same-sex marriage should have rallied before election day,” I agree and I feel ashamed. My only excuse is that I never believed that California, the state of my birth and where I’ve lived my whole life, would do this. I overestimated the compassion and belief in civil rights of many of my fellow citizens. I march now to attempt to right a wrong.

I don’t have gay kids, or gay relatives, or, really, any gay friends*, so this is not particularly personal for me. It is about right and wrong and equality and fairness and civil rights and the separation of Church and State. So now I must march.

Jenn

My apologies to Jason--I didn't feel that I had the space to get into the whole bloggy-love friendship thing!

                          OMomK, Bugs, Jenn, Social Butterfly

  (I'm pretty sure everyone thought OMomK  and I were a lovely lesbian couple with two beautiful daughters--not that there's anything wrong with that!)

Photos by Social Butterfly and innocent bystanders pressed into service.

Overheard Around The Economic Downturn (And Other Places)

We took Social Butterfly and some friends out to dinner for her birthday (we can do that now that Mr. Fix-it has a job!). Mr. Fix-it was fiddling with his new employer-issued Blackberry.

SB's Friend: My dad used to have that phone. He loved it. Then he got laid off and the company took it back.

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I was putting on my p.j.'s and brushing my teeth. SB was sitting on my bed. MSNBC was on the TV and they were playing a clip of Sarah Palin saying she was excited about Barack Obama's presidency and that she wished people would quit focusing on her because this was his shining moment. I peak around the corner at the TV.

Me: Wow. I almost like her right now.

SB: Same.

Me: Is that really what you were thinking?

SB: Yes.

I was all verklempt that my 14 year old was not only listening, but also having an opinion about anything political after the election was over.

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SB and I were driving in the car listening to the song Can't Believe It, sung by Lil' Wayne.

Song: Put you in a mansion, somewhere in Wis-cansin . . .

Me: Wis-cansin? That's not a rhyme. And word to the wise--if you want a mansion you can buy it yourself, not wait for some guy to give it to you.

Song: Ooh, ooh, she all on me, on me . . .

Me: She all on me?! What is that supposed to mean?

SB: Mom! Lyrics aren't subtle these days like Little Red Corvette was.

Me: I don't remember thinking Little Red Corvette was particularly subtle.

SB: Well it was compared to nowadays.

Little Red Corvette Lyrics

Girl, u got an ass like I never seen
And the ride...
I say the ride is so smooth
U must be a limousine

Subtle? I think not.

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In other news . . . SB, me and my BFF and her daughter will be here on Saturday.

San Diego March and Rally for Equality!!
Saturday November 15
Gather at 6th and Upas at 10:00am
March at 10:30am
Rally at County Administration Building at 1pm

Please remember to PROTEST PEACEFULLY. The San Diego Police will be involved in our protest and this protest is NON VIOLENT.

We are well on our way to building a great march, a great rally. To recap, here's the information:
We will meet at 6th and Upas and we will march downtown to the County Administration Building.
We will rally at the County Administration Building with speakers, music, and more information about how to stay involved in this growing movement!!

Overheard Around The Election

At a neighbor's borrowing a cup of sugar.

Me (heading out the door): Thanks.

Neighbor: Wait, I think you forgot something.

Me: ?

Neighbor: Don't you want the Republican voting guide?

Me: Hahahahahaha

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Social Butterfly: My friend's are saying that their parents are voting yes on 8 because it's tradition that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Me: You tell them that slavery was a tradition at one time too.

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Social Butterfly: My teacher says she's voting Republican because Barack Obama wants to take all the money from the people that work and give it to poor people.

Me: Tell her that Barack Obama did not invent progressive taxation--it's been the American way for a very  long time.

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Social Butterfly: OMG! In first period this morning these kids were talking about how they saw this lady taking down Yes on 8 signs when they drove to school.

Me (Thinking she might have been embarrassed): What did you say?

Social Butterfly: That was MY MOM!

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I had to work Tuesday until 9 p.m. so Mr. Fix-it hooked me up with an old armband radio he used to use for running and tuned it to a t.v. station. I kept the radio in the pocket of my lab coat and would stick the ear bud in on one side every once in a while.

Me: They called Pennsylvania for Obama!

Me: They called Ohio for Obama!

Pharmacist: What have you got over there?

Me: A radio turned to a t.v. station.

Pharmacist: Well does it have a speaker?!

Me: No, but I could share my headphones with you.

We spent the next 45 minutes walking around the pharmacy in tandem with one earbud in my ear and one in hers. We listened to McCain's concession speech.

Pharmacist: Damn. You're going to leave soon and I won't be able to hear Obama's speech.

Me: How about if I leave now and you can keep the radio?

Pharmacist: Deal

And that is how I came to be screeching into my driveway at 8:59:45 and was able to watch the speech with Social Butterfly snuggled up next to me, holding my hand tightly and teasing me when tears ran down my face.

Just So You Know . . .

A couple of commenters over the last couple of days have intimated (or just plain stated) that I was breaking the law or playing dirty by removing the Yes on 8 signs from the open space. To clarify:

1. I am an oldest child--pretty much by definition the most rules-following, law-abiding type of person around. That is sooo me. Yes, Kate, I do notice when you have 13 items in the 12 items or less line. (I let you get away with it 'cause there's other stuff I love about you. If I didn't know you . . .)

2. I have confirmed by phone with San Diego Neighborhood Code Compliance that what I thought to be true is, in fact, true.

• It is against code in San Diego to post political signs on public property-- including open space.
• It is fine for citizens to remove the illegally posted signs. In fact, unless you anticipate a problem, they'd prefer you do that. They don't have the manpower to do this themselves in a timely manner.

3. I stand up for what I believe in and what I know is right. I don't get intimidated by or let it slide when others engage in rude behavior that they think they will get away with because other polite people will be worried about being perceived as rude.

4. I don't have to consider what I would have done with No on 8 signs in the open space because there weren't any. This may be due to the fact the supporters on No on 8 had to pay for their own signs versus the Mormon church bankrolling their operation, but whatevs--it's the way it was.

5. I'm not apologizing or feeling bad about doing what I knew was right. I wish more people on the liberal side would do so--it would be great if we liberals would stand up for what we believe in with the ferocity of the conservative side. Though I do tend to think that we'll always be less judgey about how we do so--we are after all a more "live and let live" type of people (in general).

This matter is now closed to further discussion--you can comment, but I won't be replying.

The Last Political Post

 

Yep, I gave him money even BEFORE he was running.

If I'm driving the high school carpool on Tuesday morning and you've gone out under cover of darkness and illegally planted your Yes on 8 signs all over the open space and medians in my neighborhood, I WILL take the time to get out of the car in my sweats and slippers and brave the drizzle and the honking of rush hour to take them down. Oh yes I will.

Is It Over Yet?

  I have never felt this way about an election before. For weeks I've been obsessed with the news, reading as much as I can online, listening to pundits, having passionate discussions. And now? I just want it to be over. I actually feel a little sick to my stomach that we won't know until Tuesday night--and if it's a close one maybe not even then.

It's really hard for a control freak like me to care so much yet not really be able to affect the outcome (beyond voting which of course I did).

Somebody tell me when I can take my hands off from over my eyes and peek to make sure the scary is part is over.

A Lot of Hope and a Smidgen of Cynicism

MVP got to see and hear Barack Obama speak at his school, CSU Fort Collins, on Sunday. It was MVP and 44,999 of his closest friends. His take? It was amazing, incredible, historic, and vaguely scary in a Hitler Rally sort of way--Obama is such an amazing orator. I may have made it a point to raise my children to never the drink the kool-aid (even when it's being proffered by the man I hope with all my heart and soul will be our next President).

MVP left me a voicemail from the event (Mr. Fix-it and I were at the movies watching W. Irony what?) which I shared with Danger Boy and Social Butterfly.

SB: Hmmm, didn't Bossy's son get to shake Obama's hand?

Don't Be A Hater

Even if you're not from California, you probably know about Proposition 8--there are more signs in my neighborhood on this issue than there are about the Presidential Race.

There are only so many times you can replace your sign. I hope when the neighborhood "No on 8" sign stealer(s) sees this they ask themselves "What would Jesus do?"

Overheard at the Debate

Watching the debate at my house is a family affair. Even distance doesn't matter--Music Man and I may be separated by 150 miles but we do have instant messaging and the same obsessive intense devotion to all things political.

 

McCain is extolling the virtues of Sarah Palin.

Danger Boy (sotto voice): Oooh, she's a Maverick alright!

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Mr. Fix-it: Fun with TiVo!

replaying McCain's eye-rolling several times.

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Social Butterfly: Why is he making it sound like some people like abortions?

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Why yes, apparently I have been successful in indoctrinating promoting my political and social beliefs in my children. What makes you ask?