Don't Push the Red Button

I dare you to not push the red button.

Pictures from New Hampshire

The Kinsman Suite

A bit later than promised, but here are the photographs from our trip to New Hampsire. The picture above is of our suite. The king sized bed had a feather mattress topper which made it oh so comfortable, but the size of the bed was problematic in the middle of the night. Seems that I would awake a number of times thinking that Barry had gotten out of bed when in reality he was sleeping soundly about 3 feet away. Very bizarre.

You can see the rest of my photos at my Yahoo Photo Album. In addition to pictures of the Inn and our suite, you'll see pictures of our side trip to The Basin (the water was RUSHING that day due to snow meltoff from the mountains) and to an adorable gift shop in the small town of Jackson Village.

She Gets It!

Hartford Courant columnist Helen Ubinas gets it. She is able to put in words what I can't.

Soapbox Time

Forgive me if I rant a bit, but I have been receiving a lot of questions from friends who, while meaning well, end up pushing one of my hot buttons. The question is innocent enough. "Connecticut passed Civil Unions! Isn't that great?" But the question aggravates the snot out of me.

Yes, it is nice to finally be able to pledge my love to Barry in a way that is legally recognized. We will, in all essence, get almost all of the same benefits that straight couples do when they marry. So, why am I mad?

Well, the first reason is that the Connecticut House succeeded in amending the bill to include wording to "defend" marriage as between one man and one woman. CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal already stated that CT law prevents that. So amending the Civil Union bill to add that language is only spiteful.

Second, it's ALMOST the same benefits as marriage. Barry and my relationship will ONLY be recognized in Connecticut. If we were traveling outside of Connecticut - say to Florida and Disney - that relationship would NOT be recognized. So any power of medical attorney that I (or Barry) might have in an emergency is null and void. Second, tax time becomes a MAJOR headache. From what I understand, we would have to file 4 (yes, FOUR) returns - separately for each of us federally because our beloved asshole of a president (have I mentioned that my dad voted for him? ARGH! Where have I gone wrong?) continues to promote a theocracy that demonizes same sex relationships, a "practice" joint return to see what we would have filed IF the federal gov't recognized us as a couple BECAUSE Connecticut's return will require the filing numbers as if we HAD filed jointly (which we can't).

Third, our Republican governor - bowing to the special interest of the religious right - urged that the DOMA language be included.

"Passage of this bill will extend civil rights to all couples, no matter their gender, and send the unmistakable message that discrimination in any form is unacceptable in Connecticut," Rell said.

Then, when the House passed that DOMA language, praised the bill showing that Connecticut doesn't accept discrimination in any form. Huh? If you create a separate - but equal - situation, aren't you discriminating? Isn't that why we abolished segregation in our schools? It's like we were back in the 1960's and we told Blacks that they could sit anywhere on the bus that they liked, as long as they were on THEIR bus. We whites have our own, you can ride yours. Isn't that discrimination???

So, when you see me, don't ask if I'm happy that the Civil Union bill passed. Wait until Barry and I have had our ceremony and simply congratulate us on pledging our love for one another in a way that symbolizes that we just want the same thing everyone one else has - to love, to live, and to have the legal recognition of that relationship without all the hassle of expensive legal paperwork.

Can't Wait For Episode III To Hit Theatres?

I nearly laughed myself off of my chair watching this Star Wars spoof. Click on the link for Star Wars III: The Lost Hope, pick a size to download, then sit back and enjoy.

And For My Mother...

It was a garbage can that started it all...


My New Ford Escort Hybrid.


Another Angle.

At my mother's insistance, here are pictures of my new Ford Escort Hybrid. I traded in my wonderful Sebring Convertible (whimpering the entire way). At the point that I realized that I needed a new garbage can for the house, and that there was no way to get it home in the middle of winter without popping the top, I caved.

It was a moment of cruel clarity that I no longer was living a single, carefree lifestyle of the not-quite-rich and infamous. I was a home owner, was driving a HECK of a distance to work, and living in the backwater of Connecticut where snow and treacherous driving conditions were the norm during winter.

So, doing my research, I discovered that I needed the room of an SUV with the gas mileage of a Hybrid. Guess what? Ford has the only Hybrid SUV on the market today. So, the choice was pretty cut and dried.

But, on the positive note, the car is fun to drive and it's a hoot when I'm able to drive several miles in traffic in the morning completely on battery power. I'm getting about 5-6 MPG more than my convertible, and I have the room to haul the items I need for the house.

A Day in NYC

Barry sympathizing with a local.

As you can see from this photo - Barry was ready to take a break after 2 days at Toy Fair in late February. Since we were in NYC, we decided to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I got to indulge in its fabulous Egyptian exhibits:

Egyptian Temple

Barry had lots of fun with the statuary, but this was his favorite one, though:

Statue at the Met

I know there's some sort of mythology behind this, which Barry knows, but I just can't remember what it was. Something about the guy being condemned to starving to death and his sons insisting that they be eaten to save their dad. Quite twisted, if you ask me.

After spending a great morning and early afternoon at the museum, we were museum'ed out and decided to head south to his favorite place - Tiffanies! Along the way, I convinced him to allow us to talk through Central Park after PROMISING him that we weren't going to be mugged... After all, it was during the Gates exhibit (which no one understood, but it was still neat to see).


The Gates.

During our walk through the park, we had a celebrity moment - we walked right past Dianne Wiest who was taking an afternoon stroll. I told Barry about it as soon as I could without looking like a complete tourist loser, and he was ready to run after her to say hello. Fortunately, I was able to convince him not to do that since she probably didn't come walking through the park to be accosted by passersby.

Finally, though, after a delightful walk through the park, and passing by the Bronx Zoo, we made it to Barry's Mecca:

Why is this man smiling?

Yes, we stopped off in Tiffanys, where Barry was more than helpful in picking out future Xmas, anniversary and birthday gifts for him. After a quick run around inside, we continued on to see the Disney store, St. Pats Cathedral, and Rockefeller Square before heading back to the hotel. A full day that resulted in BOTH of us collapsing exhausted in the room!