One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been some very interesting decisions made in the US Supreme Court. 

DOMA, the law in which defines marriage as a union solely between a man and a woman, was overturned by the Supreme Court.  On a local level, this decision deemed California’s Prop 8 unconstitutional as well.  Part of me wants to chime in sarcastically, “It’s about damn time!” but really, I do think it’s quite a remarkable accomplishment for our country to have moved so far in the opposite direction of DOMA (1996) in such a short amount of time.  Over the last few years, polls have shown more and more people in support of overturning DOMA and this year the majority of American citizens were in favor of it.  That’s probably for a variety of reasons – gays are out of the closet and part of our families and circle of friends, they are in our pop-culture, younger adults who have grown up with it not being a taboo, and the realization that same-sex marriage isn’t really interfering with our straight marriages…in fact we do a fabulous job messing those up all on our own as certainly our 50% divorce rate isn’t caused by the gays.     

As the 9-year-old son of some very dear friends (who were married when California legalized same-sex marriage and were then in limbo when prop 8 passed) says, “If people don’t like gay marriage then they shouldn’t get gay married.”  Exactly!

I was taken back a bit by the Court’s ruling on DOMA because as new rights were being given to one group of people, there was a possibility of rights being taken away from another group based on a controversial decision the day before. SCOTUS found that parts of the Voting Rights Act were unconstitutional and unnecessary.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law in order to protect the15th Amendment.  After the ratification of the 15th Amendment, several states tried various ways to deny the vote to all citizens, mainly African Americans, by imposing literacy tests or taxes and redrawing district lines.  The Voting Rights Act prohibits states from denying anyone’s legal right to vote and also allowed the federal government to oversee the offending states’ voting protocol.  I say “allowed” because that latter part of the Act was recently ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.  The VRA has basically been gutted in that even though the heart of the Act is still intact, they’ve removed all basis for enforcing it.  In the decision, it was said that the federal oversight was basically outdated and no longer needed.  The Justices (5-4) think that things have changed and racism is no longer a problem. 

Interestingly enough, four days earlier Food Network star Paula Deen, from Georgia (one of the states under the federal oversight), was fired for poor treatment of her African American staff and for having used racial slurs.  It does sound like things have changed, doesn’t it. 

These Drugs Are Better

Luckily, Rigby’s new flea medication doesn’t cause 24 hours of insanity.  Instead, it has a different side effect.
She can hardly walk into a room without taking a nap.  I much prefer lethargy to cra-cra, but I do hope it wears off soon or I might be walking solo tonight.

Opening Windows

It’s the first time in over a week that I’ve been able to open up the windows in my house.  The temperature finally dropped into the low 70s (at 1:00 in the morning), and it’s relatively comfortable without running the air conditioning.  A day or two stuck inside with no fresh air is one thing, but more than that things become so confining, so claustrophobic.  When I arrived home tonight after the 4th’s festivities, I giddily ran around the house throwing open as many windows as I could, mumbling and laughing to myself about how nice it was outside.  Thankfully, we’re getting a bit of a reprieve…for tonight anyways.

At the Halfway Point

Calendar time! 

   I had watercolor and patterns on the brain this month…

 

Happy July!

Saturday 9 – JT

Today is (now) officially the first day of MY summer break!  I’m relieved the curriculum work is done and look forward to some time to re-energize without worrying about school.  However, as my first day of break, I’m left wondering WHY ON EARTH I am up at 7:30 in the morning.  As far as I’m concerned THAT must stop immediately.  For now, though, some time for a Saturday 9.

On a side note, my friend Jlo is a Justin Timberlake fan.  She even boasts that she was a fan back in the day when he had long, curly locks, looked to be about 15, and sang in *N Sync.  She’ll enjoy this post.
 
1) When was the last time that you got dressed up, or to borrow from Mr. Timberlake, "fixed up to the nines?"  Hmmm, I can’t remember the last time I was dressed to the nines…prom?  I like to dress nicely, but “the nines” isn’t really my thing.

2) Justin Timberlake is known for his threads. Do you try to keep up with fashion trends?  I’m not as concerned about it as I used to be.  Thank goodness jeans and cute shoes are still in style. 

3) While on tour, Justin has a cigar roller on call so that he and the band can enjoy a "gentleman's club" atmosphere back stage. Do you enjoy the smell of a good cigar?  I wouldn’t say I enjoy the smell, but I think it’s more tolerable than cigarettes. 

4) Justin appeared on Star Search when still in grade school, and he's been working ever since. Did you work when you were a kid?  I did chores for an allowance as a kid and babysat in the neighborhood when I was old enough. 

5) JT has appeared several times on Saturday Night Live, a show that premiered before he was born. Who is your most favorite ever SNL cast member of all time?  I’m not a regular watcher of SNL, but I’d have to say Adam Sandler and Jimmy Fallon.  Although I like the old-school cast like Billy Crystal and Steve Martin. I did see JT’s “Dick in a Box” from when he he hosted SNL, and it’s pretty funny.

6) Justin is a very good golfer (6 handicap). Will you play this summer?  I’d rather dress to the nines.

7) A round of golf requires hours outside in the elements. Have you ever endured a painful sunburn?  The days of going to the pool or the beach slathered in baby oil caused many a damaging sub burn.

8) When they were young, Justin dated Britney Spears. Obviously, it's been easy for him to keep up with her successes and problems over the years. Do you wonder how one of your exes is doing? No, not really. 

9) Ever since his days with N'Sync, Justin Timberlake has supported music education. Did your grade school offer music classes? Yes, the school had once a week K-3 music and 4-6 orchestra or chorus.  I tried my hand at the violin, but it didn’t go well.  Songs?  I think we learned Mary Had a Little Lamb right off the bat but I don’t remember the other songs.

Happy Saturday!

A Pilgrimage, of Sorts

After a few days in Lisbon, we drove North to Porto making a stop in Fátima on the way. 

I had not realized how relatively recent the “visions” had been and the subsequent construction of the Basilica, Chapel, and Church. 

Right away it was clear how much of a tourist attraction Fátima is.

A statue of the Virgin Mary in the Chapel of Apparitions (1919).  The statue marks the site where the visions are said to have occurred.
 A worshipper walks on her knees to the Our Lady of Fátima shrine with Robert Schad’s High Cross in the background.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima (1928)Church of the Santíssima Trindade (2007) – the eight largest Christian church in the world.View of the Basilica from the Church. And in case there hadn’t been enough worship in the sanctuary, there were blocks and blocks of “holy’ tourist crap to take home with you. 

Moving Bowls

During a party at my house a few weeks ago, I needed a bowl for one of the guests.  My serving bowls are stacked to the left inside a cabinet hanging over my countertop.  The bowls, being stacked, are heavy and have always been on the side farthest away making them rather hard for me to reach.  The night of the party, my friend Mike was in the kitchen too so I asked him to take one down for me.  He asked me how I got them down when no one was there with me.  I told him I had to climb on the counter or use a large spoon to pull them closer for me to reach. (And who knows how I got that blue glass pitcher lying on its side up there.)  He laughed and said, “Why don’t you switch the bowls and glasses around?” 

There were a few people who helped me unpack when I moved into my house a few years ago.  I believe my mom unpacked my kitchen so it would make sense that ALL of the wine glasses were put in the spot easiest to reach.  It had never even occurred to me to move the bowls.  Well duh!  It was such a good idea, I asked him to add it to my summer to-do list board. 

Even though I had to work all of last week, my evenings were fairly open since I didn’t have to worry about school work or grading papers on summer break.  I took some time each day I got home from work to complete a chore on my summer to-do list.  Moving the bowls was one of those chores.  A little bit of cleaning took place in addition to the moving. 

Having easier access to them, I was able to spread them out a bit as well.  Now they are not only closer, but the stacks aren’t as heavy either.  I bought some grapes while grocery shopping this weekend.  When I opened the cupboard for a bowl, it was so easy to take one out.  It made me laugh to myself that I hadn’t done it sooner.  Thanks for the great idea Mike!