Gay Marriage Legalized in Vermont!

Did you hear? Today Vermont overrode their governor's veto and became the 4Th state to legalize gay marriage. For this, I stand and give them slow meaningful applause. You know-at the end of the movie when the underdog finally triumphs against the bully.

Gay Marriage-Why is this such a fervently contested issue, really! I'm going to say this slowly and simply. The state of marriage is a LEGAL CONTRACT. If it were not, you wouldn't need a license to do it. The thing that gets panties in a bunch is "holy matrimony" IE, marriage sanctified by a church or religion. Contrary to what the vehemently vocal anti gay marriage people say, marriage and holy matrimony are two different things that are not mutually inclusive of each other.

For example: 2 couples. One gets married by the justice of the peace while the other does the big church wedding. Both are legally married. Now, if marriage and holy matrimony were both required to have a legally recognized marriage, the couple what went to the JP would not be married. The gist is that a church or even religion is not required in this country to have a legally valid marriage.

People who happen to be gay are first and foremost PEOPLE. They have the right to enter into legal contracts the same as anyone else. WHY do people keeping beating on this issue?? If two people find each other on this insane planet, fall in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together GOOD FOR THEM! Plumbing has nothing to do with love. What someone does in the privacy of their home is none of my or anyone else's business. "Oh, it's a sin against God, the Bible says..." Yes, but the Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn't make exceptions for color, race, creed, size or sexual orientation. Those are all man's prejudices. People who rail against gay marriage forget also "Judge not, lest ye be judged". I can hear the reaction now "OH, well, you can't pick and choose what parts of the Bible to listen to". Bullshit, that's what they do every time they protest a murdered gay man's funeral or picket a movie. They are choosing what parts they like and ignoring the rest. They get so wrapped up trying to force their views and judging others that they forget they are hurting people with their bigotry.

I remember years ago at my old job. I had a very sweet gay couple that came to my store. They were funny, kind, giving and very much in love. They were together 15 years before they had a commitment ceremony. Just after their 25Th anniversary of being together, one had a pulmonary embolism in their home. He died in his partners arms. Did the fact that they were two men make any difference of how they felt about each other? Absolutely not.

A couple things to consider
1) Anytime you hear someone argue anything about gays, put the word Black in place of gay. It wasn't that long ago that it was against the law for black and whites to marry. Sounds bad that way right?
2) If the validity of your marriage hinges on denying that right to someone else, what does that say about your marriage?

Peace and Love
C

Soundtrack for your life

Ah, so we meet again, or is it at first?
Ive been fascinated with an idea and I thought you guys would be interested in it. Ive talked before about the Soundtrack for your life. Well, I sat down and put some serious thought to it. If all that remained of your time on the earth was a 20 song soundtrack-what songs would it contain? A way to think of it is that is a person who never met you happened to hear your soundtrack, would they get a sense of who you was by the songs you chose? For me, they would be the songs that move me, make me laugh, cry, remember and think.

I didn't take this task lightly. Music is very important to me, it is with us from the day of our birth to the day of our death. It marks important days, memories, feelings, joys and sorrows. You are probably listening to mine right now. Don't worry, just hit pause if you don't want to listen right now.

Let's be clear. This is not a "20 songs that you would have on a desert island". This is 20 songs that define YOU.

So, here is my life soundtrack. At least, so far :)
1. Sugar Blue-Jeff Finlin. This is from the Elizabethtown soundtrack. It's quiet rhythm and grace make me think of my grandmother who passed away in 2005.
2. Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd. I hear this and I'm back in high school working at MacDonald's. This song was my first introduction to Floyd. My manager who I was desperately in love with played Floyd all the time. It echoed through the grill area. It made imagine soaring.
3.Time after Time - Eva Cassidy. This performance was live at Blues Alley. Eva passed away from cancer at 33. There is a haunted quality to her voice that touches me deeply.
4. Erotic City - George Clinton and the Parlament Funkadelic. Puts me square back in my Rocky Horror days. I had just moved out and discovered that I didn't have to be scared to be myself. If I wanted to sing "but he locked the door and gave me a disease" at the top of my lungs in a theater dressed in fishnets and a slip-I could.
I was free to be crazy, sexy and have fun!
5. Hang on St. Christopher-Tom Waits. My first few years of marriage. Hubby loved Waits and introduced me to it. This clip is from Big Time. Waits layers sound to the point of audio orgasm. Really.
6. Black Soul Choir - 16 Horsepower. The beginning of discovering a world of wonderful wild weird and amazing music. Kill the top 40 radio stations and explore!
7. Dear Mr. President - Pink. Makes me think of my brother. He is in the Army. He has sacrificed so much in the service of his country. His health, his first marriage. Takes me back to the days right before the beginning of the war. We said wait, they didn't listen.
8. Come as you are - Nirvana. This was the first Nirvana I ever heard. It marks the sea change between the 80's and 90's. When you think of music, there is before Nirvana and after Nirvana. This song says to me that its ok to be different.
9. I want it all - Queen. One of the last songs sung by Freddie Mercury. The power behind that voice gives me chills.
10. As Ugly as I seem - White Stripes. The guitar work and sweet simplicity of this song are very addictive. Beauty and simplicity will always go together after you listen to this.
11. Traveling Soldier - Dixie Chicks. I cry every time I hear this song. My brother gave his wife a cd with this song on it before he deployed the first time. My brother was supposed to be on a Black Hawk on his way home for leave. The helicopter was shot down. We didn't know for a day if he was alive or dead. This song takes me to that day, just sitting there not knowing what to do...
12. Don't Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin. Schlocky I know, but this is a song that no matter how shitty my day is, makes me smile and remember simply to not worry, be happy.
13. Mad World - Gary Jules. I suffered from depression in high school. Lost, aching, painful depression. I used to say I felt like the red dot among the green dots-I didn't fit in. This song is the sound of my mind when I was depressed.
14. Sweet Dreams - Patsy Cline. Makes me think of my mother.
15. For the Longest Time-Billy Joel. Summer vacations when I was a kid. We would drive to Grandma's house. When this song came on the radio, mom, I and my brother would all sing along in harmony. Simple happiness comes with this song.
16. Yesterday - Beatles. Pure, simple, beautiful, soulful. Essential.
17. Ode to Joy - Beethoven. The sound of a ecstatic heart.
18. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman. I have had several copies of this album... I wore the tapes out listening to this. Another one that has a deep emotional reach.
19. Kathy's Song - Simon and Garfunkel. Beautiful ballad. Hard to decide between this, Neil Young Old Man and Bob Dylan Most of the time.
20. Every breath you take (acoustic)- Sting. Pure and clear. My 6th grade music teacher made us learn how to play this song on guitar. I remember her calling out chord changes. If only she had taught this version, maybe I would remember how to play it.

Ok, so there I am, laid bare to the "Innertubes". Comment, don't comment. I don't care. What I do care about is that you give some though to your own soundtrack. What would you pick and why?
Happiness guys. I will post a funky movie next time no worries ;)
C

Books and Wicked Awesome Intuition!

Hey guys

Sorry I haven't written in a few days. I went shopping today. Not a big deal I know. Sticking with the axiom that there is no book better than a used book, I picked up a couple of books I'm interested in reading. One of them is Wicked. I started it when I got home. Slow start but it now has me hooked. Interesting look into the life of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. So far it has the Wicked Witch and Glinda the good witch as college roomies. I know, sounds silly but the way its written its intriguing.

I'm trying to take my own advise. I have vowed this year to challenge myself mentally. So, I'm reading more classics and trying to really diversify my music collection. So far, so good ;) Picked up another book titled "the Rose and the Briar" about American Ballads. It's next after Wicked. I also got the Portrait of Dorian Gray, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and the Milagro Beanfield War. I like reading the books that inspired movies. Let me be clear. Im not talking about the book of the movie of the book. I'm talking about the book before Hollywood (in a lot of cases) dumbs it down. I think when I'm done with this lot of books, I will try to find a used copy of the Odyssey. I haven't read it since college, so I am looking forward to reading it again. There is a great used book store called Bookmans, but I think its more fun if you find it randomly in a thrift store. I like thinking the book has a past. Oh, I joined a website called bookcrossing.com. It's cool, after you read a book, you register it on the site and "release it to the wild". You leave it in a restaurant, on a table, in a store, on a park bench...you get the idea. It plays into my liking a book to have a past *smile*.

Going along with my own advise, I am also listening to my gut intuition. I don't know, its just strange gut feelings about stuff... and now you think that I think I'm psychic and a TOTAL WEIRDOOOO! Yeah, not so much haha! I think we are all better off listening to that little voice. There have been studies on premonition. There have been many cases where there was a disaster and the death toll was far lower than it should have been because people were late, felt sick and or just felt like they shouldn't go in that day. 9/11 has a lot of these stories. Google premonition and 9/11, it's pretty amazing.

Dont think badly of me. I am relatively normal, quiet and happy. Just remember, in the game of life, it's ALWAYS the quiet ones... *sly smile and a wink* (getting tired of colon and a parenthesis, aren't you??)

Goodnight, goodluck, and tell your loved ones you love them everyday.
and for God's sake, COMMENT already! I LIKE COMMENTS! It makes this less of an exersise in futility and more of a "contribution to the world"...
peace.
Christine

Magnolia and Aimee Mann- twofer tonight-You will LOVE this movie or ELSE!

Evening guys
Well, to top off my stellar week, I lost my temporary crown and thus, my mouth is sore. Thank god for Percocet is all I can say... haha.

So, did you watch the Oscars? I saw about half. I decided to go to the movies this afternoon. I went to see Taken. Good movie. As with many movies, you did have to suspend reality a bit in places but overall it had great pace and action without it getting boring.

While watching the lead in for a commercial during the Oscars, I heard a snip of a song by Aimee Man called Save Me. It is from a movie that is worth revisiting. It is called Magnolia.

I sure you have figured out by now that I like ensemble films. This wonderful film had so much to it that I cant possibly sum up everything in a couple of paragraphs. The director was PT Anderson. He takes his characters and weaves a story of interaction, connection and isolation and the walls we put up in our worlds to protect us from pain. Anderson spends small amounts of time with each set of characters but really develops them to the point that we are thoroughly invested in their lives and outcomes. The strength of the movie is the subtly. An expression. The tone the actors use when delivering a line and their appearance speak more to who they are as people than the words that they say.

Whether it be Frank TJ Mackey or Daniel Plainview, Anderson's characters are so disturbed by their own realizations of themselves and, in Mackey’s case, their past that they alienate those around them and themselves from the world. Mackey is so shut off from the world that he uses degrading women as a way of distancing himself from intimacy, which clearly pained him in his childhood. If we look at one of the more interesting, and astoundingly heartbreaking, relationships in the film (John C Reilly and Melora Walters) we see a couple that are so wounded by the world that they grasp at some form of happiness, even if that happiness would be more destructive than good.

The cast is rounded out by William H Macy, Julliane Moore, Tom Cruse, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymor Hoffman, Jason Robards, Alfred Molina and many more. It comes together to make not only a movie but a deep heart wrenching statement about ourselves, the damage we do to those we love, the mental scars left and finding a way through the pain to start healing.

You know that along with my love of a really good ensemble, I love a good soundtrack. This one is no exception. It is a beautifully written collection of songs by Aimee Mann. They are beautiful, touching and tragic.

I thought about soundtracks today. I wondered if you can have a crappy movie with a good soundtrack. Answer would be yes, I think so. BUT, can you have an excellent movie with a shit soundtrack...? Would this movie have been as powerful if it had ________(insert generic manufactured teen craptactular singer here)? Who knows.
All I can say is the music is a beautiful compliment to the movie and helps move the movie forward. Which is the goal of a good soundtrack. Its a bonus when it is completely listenable on it's own.


Alas my friends, the medication is finally kicking in so I think Im off to bed. Wish me luck at the dentists tomorrow. Yeeha. :(

OMG Why does the world STINK!

Yes, you should fear the rant. Really.

It has been a hard week. Ok, let's not sugar coat. It sucked great big hairy dog balls. How's that mental image coming?

Y-U-K

Hubby had to go out of town until next week. So, I decided to do something happy for me. Ive got a beer, a face mask on, bra off and Steve Earle in the cd player. Oh, and cheddar bunnies. Have you tried cheddar bunnies?? They are made by Annies and are the healthier alternative to cheezits. Yummy man, yummay!

Well, I decided since hubby was gone I would do some in depth cleaning. I needed a few things I was out of, namely dish and laundry soap. So, I swallowed my pride and bile and stopped at Walmart. I hate Walmart a lot, but there are a couple things that only they carry that I like. So, off I went.

Now, Walmart isn't redneck heaven, it comes in second to Harbor Freight (dont get me started on the humanity that goes in there). There is a lot of crazy fun people watching you can do in a Walmart. You can see everything at ol'Wally. The most interesting today was a young man intently scrutinizing cheese in the "got testosterone" tshirt and the emo kid that stopped in front of an endcap full of Kellogs corn flakes making excited "HUM! HUM!" sounds for about 20 seconds. The best one was the lady at the checkouts. I couldn't see her (she was short and I'm only 5'3" so there you go). All I could see was her hair. It was dyed Ronald McDonald red and was moused straight up. We are talking STRAIGHT-cartoon scared-straight. She was squawking loudly to the cashier about "make sure you get this" and so forth. Reminded me of Foghorn Leghorn, the big obnoxious cartoon rooster.
Free entertainment at wallyworld-too cool!

Unfortunately for me, there is another thing Wally is abundant in. Stinky smelly people. I walked through cloud after cloud while looking for my detergent. There should be a few rules for people to go out in public.

#1 BATHE. Whether its "old guy who hasn't bathed in a month" or "I'm so manly, I just worked out" or the dreaded 12 year old boy who just finished playing soccer. The 12 year old is the worst because at that age, their hormones are kicking into gear yet they don't realize that they should bathe more. eeeeyyuuuk. Bathing should be common sense right?? Hmm.

#2 BRUSH YOUR TEETH/USE GUM. "Oh, you had the garlic marinated chicken with onions for lunch?"...great. This is also the person who has no clue about personal space. I had a customer a few years ago who owned a restaurant. French food IE stinky cheeses. NO concept of personal space. He would look over my shoulder at the computer-we are talking his face 6 inches from mine. I'm sure he thought I had allergies cause I never breathed through my nose around him. Dentists tell us to floss for a reason. Food gets caught between teeth and ROTS. Heat rotting food at say 98.6 and oh god, gives me the heaves.

#3 NO BEANS, BROCCOLI or anything that gives you the farts. Its not funny or cute to "sow the field". If you have gas, go to the bathroom and let er rip! Don't toot a path down 3 aisles of the grocery store. Please? Fart clouds are GROSS!

#4 NO POLO or GRANDMA PERFUME. If I can tell where you have been in a store because of your Polo trail-you might be wearing TOO MUCH! Cologne and perfume are not substitutes for BATHING! One lady had on so much grandma perfume that you could taste it in the air. Now honestly, do you think I WANT to taste grandma perfume? Umm, yeah sure-I don't f*cking think so!

#5 IF YOUR KID TAKES A DUMP, FOR GOD'S SAKE CHANGE HIM! Babies poop and pee. I totally accept that. What kills me is the mom who says "oh my, junior just pooped" and CONTINUES TO SHOP FOR a 1/2 hour treating everyone in the vicinity to the dirty diaper smell. I don't want to try to pick out salad dressing while smelling your kid's dirty diaper. It's not good for the baby's skin to sit in sh*t for 20 minutes. Best part on this one-and yes, I experienced dirty diaper kid today too, was that Mom had the super jumbo pack of diapers in the cart.

#6 Cigarette breath. Not pleasant. VERY not enjoyable. Cigarette smoke permeate the lining of the lungs. Yes, it can cause cancer, but the stale ciggy smell can and does come up from the lungs while you breathe. So, mints help but they don't fix the bad breath. You know what the cure is, I don't have to say it. "Oh, you don't know, you mean non smoker you!" Oh yeah? I smoked for 17 years. I know what I'm talking about from the viewpoint of the smeller and the smelly. Consider quitting, it's mind over matter. Believe me, being able to breathe MATTERS.

Ok, I think I have chewed your ear enough tonight. If you ask nicely I might chew on it some more...rawr.
Paz a todos (peace to all)
C

In Arizona, Colorado or Oregon? You have to go to this store!

Howdy hi and hello
Yeah, I'm back. Ive been contemplating what to talk about. I have told you about music and movies, I've gone emo, nutty, crazy and so forth.
I think it might be time for a little naughty.

Yeah you dirty bugger, I said naughty.

Now. There are certain things that are part of the human condition. The need for companionship and love are right up on top. They segue well with another "need". Hehe, yes-the urge to merge.

Sex is a billion dollar industry. There are many stores that cater to every kink that floats your boat. Things that buzz, hum, wiggle, inflate, vibrate...you get the picture. Now, if the thought of going into one of "those" places makes you turn redder than a cherry (yes, if you are counting that was a pun) I have the shop for you.

Fascinations is a chain of "toy" stores for grownups in Arizona, Colorado or Portland, Oregon. They are clean, well lit and staffed by friendly and knowledgeable sales people. OK, I'm a grown up in touch with my wants and needs and I have been in a couple of adult shops. Im married after all, so sex has come up every once in a while (that's two-two puns, mwha haha). When most people think of an adult store, they think dirty, perverts jackin off in corners, hookers out back doing $10 BJ's.
Not the case with this little corner of kinkville ;)

Hubby and I went in a couple weeks ago to replace a particular item. I had an idea of what I wanted but didn't know where to look. The sales person took us right to a giant wall of items in all shapes, colors sizes and textures. I told him what I wanted and he got it and started to tell me about some of its functions-even taking it out of the package to demonstrate the controls. There was no blushing, no shyness, no embarrassment. He was very matter of fact and considerate. He then suggested a lube and cleaner that would work well with the item. As we talked to him, I looked around. I saw a lesbian couple who were being helped by another sales person. She was telling them about Pyrex dildos. There were several other couples looking at vibrating items and cockrings. It reminded me of a dept store, but for fun stuff!

I know, you are calling foul on me. I am supposed to be upfront about things. After all, we are trying to be the change ya know...?! Vibrators are fun and can enhance sex. Making a great thing even greater-I'm all for it!

So, I'm recommending Fascinations as a stop you must make if you ever visit AZ, CO or OR!
You want a vib, lube, the "Kong" dong, handcuffs, penis shaped pasta, chocolate flavored body oil, giant blowup sheep and MORE, they have it AND service with a smile to boot! Oh, and did I mention they do HOME PARTIES!! Oh Boy Oh Boy!

Here is a link for them http://www.fascinations.net
Let the games begin!

A treat for Valentines Day-a Black Comedy!

Well, good morning! Well, its morning for me.

I was checking out the traffic here yesterday. Seems the only person interested in love besides me is the guy from Saudi looking for "Big Black Booty". YIIIIIKERS. HAHA! Well, I guess loving big black booty is still love, so um, power to ya dude!

Let's see, yesterday I gave you the meaning of love, at least how I define it. Now, on a day filled with candy, hearts, pink and red everything and sloppy sentiments, I think we need a cure, or at least something to cut the saccharine-ness of today. What should I rot your mind with today...? Oh! I know!! You're movie today is Heathers, staring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder.

It starts with Veronica compromising who she is to be one of the "Heathers" the most popular group in school. She tries to fit in while hating them. While taking a lunchtime survey, she meets Jason Dean, a dark rebel. They start a whirlwind romance that includes the pair murdering several of their classmates. They cover the murders by making them look like suicides. The murders include death by Drano and a faked gay tryst between the star football players. Of course, hijinks ensue! Some of my favorite lines from this movie
"my teenage angst bullshit has a body count" "Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?" "I have to motor if I want to make the funeral" and "corn nuts!"
Do you remember the video for "Smells like Teen Spirit"? The gym? That was taken from the climatic scene in Heathers where JD tries to blow up the school gym during assembly.

This movie is Slater at his "Nicholson/Rebel Without a Cause" best and Ryder fresh from Beetlejuice and well, just "Very".

I know, its from 1988. Now stop the "EWWW 80's!" This movie rocked. So grab your remote, your sweetie and some corn nuts and watch Heathers.

Beeee Gooooood!
C

Oh, IMDB link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/