Disney World!!!

Piglet gives Barry a hug.

Well, our trip to Disney World for 2005 has come and gone. I'm still not over my PDD (post-Disney depression), but I do have some pictures to remind me of our good time.

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, which was very nice. Beautiful theming throughout, and a great pool. Mom and Dad came down to join us for the first two days, and had a room right across the hall from us. We went to Epcot the first day, then the Magic Kingdom the second, where I insisted on a character breakfast to start off the day. You can see the results from the picture above.

Tag Sale!

Missy and Barry Keeping Cool

Well, we've had our very first tag sale. Our neighbors, Rick and Judy, decided to "cull the herd" of their overstocked house, and graciously invited the neighborhood to join in. So, we put some stuff that we knew we wanted to sell and added it to the impressive collection of items for sale. In addition to Rick & Judy, Todd and Missy also joined us with a bunch of stuff for sale, too. It was hot, but not as bad as last week, and we were able to keep cool (the wine coolers broke out by 10:00 am - hey - it was noon somewhere in the world).

We were joined by Rick & Judy's daughter Amber, along with her daughter Alexandra, by mid afternoon, and finally ajourned to their backyard about 4:00 to enjoy a cookout. Eventually, we were joined by Amber's husband Greg, then our neighbor Jean before we headed home for a nap. An excellent day!

Check out the pictures!

New Driveway

New Driveway

Well, the picture is finally here. I've been procrastinating about getting it on the site, but no more! We had it done in May, and have loved every inch of it. There's nothing like heading up a smooth, level stretch of asphault over a bumpy, dusty gravel driveway. And it eliminates the whole raking the gravel out of the lawn syndrome in the spring - I NEVER want to do that again!!!

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.