Evolution

I have plenty of other things to write about (our recent trip to Kentucky, the Democratic convention—wow, did our First Lady knock it out of the park, or what?!—the bizarre compulsion Republicans have to crawl inside the wombs of American women, among other things), but what is at the forefront of my mind today is change.

Not political change. Not Ken’s job change, although that is part of what prompted my pondering on this. Personal change. How we grow and develop as human beings.

‘Change’ is sometimes tossed around as a bad thing. As in, “Oh, how you’ve changed.” The implication is that you’ve changed for the worse. That certainly can be true for certain people, but I tend to see personal change as a necessary thing. If we’re the exact same people we were when we graduated from high school, for example, that doesn’t speak well for our sense of self-awareness, our empathy for others, or our ability to learn from our mistakes. Stagnation isn’t good for anyone.

It has been said that I have influenced Ken for my own nefarious purposes (although the source is dubious, at best), changing his values and belief systems. How silly. I don’t have that much power over anyone, and wouldn’t wield it in that way if I did. Ken is his own person, as am I. Of course, we discuss things; we pay attention to the world around us, we see what is working and what isn’t, and we talk about our thoughts on such matters. Not just with each other...we have friends and family that we also toss around ideas with. That is actually one of the more enjoyable things in life for me: having good discussions with others so that I can work out my own ideas on something.

This is how we grow, both intellectually and as human beings. My positions on many things have evolved throughout the years. I started out an idealistic liberal; I became fairly fiscally conservative for a while (although I’ve always been pretty liberal on social issues); I made another big swing back to the left, and I’m guessing that’s not going to change. I started out being for civil unions rather than full marriage equality. Like President Obama, my views on that have evolved, and I now fully support equality for all of our citizens.

I didn’t just decide to switch my opinions because I was, oh, let’s say running for political office. (Not to mention any names. *cough* Mittens *cough*) I took the time to read about things, took the time to fully think them through. I am not a religious conservative, although I was born into a religious conservative family. I made my own way and made my own decisions. I did not make them lightly, either.

So I find it ludicrous that anyone would disparage a person’s changing stance on such serious issues as religion and politics. (Attributing Ken’s changing stance on things to me is even more ludicrous.) Or even non-serious issues like types of music, or taste in movies. Aren’t we kind of supposed to ponder things, experience new things, branch out from our tiny little corner of the world? Isn’t that what makes life the exciting adventure it is? Oh, I suppose I could sit here and not challenge my previously held notions, take the easy and safe path of conformity, but what fun would that be? To take that path seems rather lazy to me.

One of my mottos in college was “Question Authority.” It was cool and rebellious for the time, and I can’t say that I’ve retained any sort of major disrespect for authority. However, I continue to question, and I hope I always will. Life wouldn’t be as interesting without pushing the envelope on occasion!

Heading for the hills

First off, I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful birthday wishes. WOW! So many good wishes on Facebook, and it definitely made me smile.

Some of you may know that I turned 50 today. Although it feels weird to say “I’m 50,” I’m feeling really good about things. Health, a positive change for Ken in his job, plenty of great books to read and movies to watch, living here at Nutwood and enjoying its beauty...it’s all good. [Automatic superstitious action that I really don’t think works: knock on wood.]

So how did I celebrate today? After my usual workout, I headed downtown for a mammogram and a bone density test. Who knows how to party?! THIS GAL! I had it scheduled for last Friday, but for whatever reason, they had to reschedule, and today was the day they gave me. I was in and out of there in about an hour, so I was still able to enjoy the beautiful day and get some things done around here.

Part of that included packing a few things for a long weekend in the hills of eastern Kentucky with my family. They always have a big Labor Day celebration in this town and the historical society honors a different family each year. This year, it’s one of the families in our ancestry, the Marshalls. Pretty much my entire immediate family is going, and my Mom is super excited to have us all along. My Aunt June is visiting from Florida, so she is going, too. We’ll have fun, although I think it would be wise to keep my political leanings to myself while I’m down there. Cousin Greg (Aunt June’s son) and I were laughing about what I could wear. He suggested that I dress like a hippie and carry an “Occupy Salyersville” sign. I said that maybe I’ll wear my Obama t-shirt. Greg said I might want to consider wearing a French beret, as well. That cracked me up!

Anyway, although I’ll be connected, I won’t be online a whole lot. We’ll be out and about during the day and I’ll try and get caught up as much as possible at night. 

Thanks again for all the kind words on my birthday. It meant a lot to me.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Actually, only one big change. Congrats to my hubby Ken on his new job! He still has a few days left at his previous job, but will soon be at his new digs. I couldn’t be happier for him. He was definitely ready for a change, and I know he’s really looking forward to doing his best for his new company. It’s a smaller company, and they seem really excited to have him on board. We had a nice surprise on Friday, when his new boss emailed him and asked us to their family pick-a-nick at The Cove Saturday evening. I thought that was very thoughtful, and I enjoyed meeting some of his new coworkers and bosses. Yes, Super Introvert Beth was excited and happy to meet these new folks, believe it or not!

I continue to be scarce on here because I can feel summer winding down, so I’m trying to have as much fun as I can before the cold weather sets in. I’m spending some time sitting on the deck in the shade in the afternoon, just reading and enjoying the pleasant late summer weather. On the days where it’s not typical August-hot, I catch some rays, hoping to stave off my usual winter pallor as long as possible.

I had a fairly busy time this past week, and one of the highlights was lunch with Shane and Matt at a place Shane had read about online: Moser’s Austrian Cafe in New Carlisle, Indiana, about 20 miles east of Nutwood. Shane took us over there via the back roads, and it was fun driving through ‘60s-era subdivisions and looking at cool doors, interesting mid-century modern features, and the occasional glass-block window. The restaurant was a gem, with delicious schnitzel (their specialty) and tasty Austrian beer (Stiegl). Shane had the traditional Wienerschnitzel, Matt had Alt Wienerschnitzel (spinach and Swiss cheese...excuse me...Schweizkäse!), and I had Jägerschnitzel (bacon, onions, mushrooms, and red wine). To all you haters who said that my schnitzel looked like it had an octopus on it, you have NO IDEA how good it was! It was so good, with a nice vinegary tang to it. I went there with the intention of getting something with sauerkraut, so I could get my fix of that, but the schnitzel was fantastic, and the German potato salad and red cabbage was delicious. Moser’s was voted one of the ten best German restaurants in the country, and I can tell you that the food and the service was just fantastic. As Shane told our server (apparently also the owner), “Ausgezeichnet!” (Excellent!) Nice job, Shane, on finding a great place not too far from us! It’s always so much fun to try something new, and get away from chains and franchises. Ken and I had so much fun finding places like that on our big road trip.

This week, we’ve got the Republican convention to watch, then later in the week, we’ll be heading out on another road trip to eastern Kentucky with my family. Mom’s minivan is full, so we’ll be driving down in the Mustang. (Ken’s, not mine.) Mom’s family is from that area, so she’s really excited to take us all back to where her folks came from.

I promise more substantive posts soon. I have plenty to say about “legitimate” things, believe me! Heh.

Things to do, people to see

It was a busy weekend for the Nutwood gang!

We started Friday evening with a trip to the Cove, i.e., Coveleski Stadium, home of the South Bend Silverhawks. The Silverhawks are the Class A team for the Diamondbacks, and it’s really a nice little ballpark. Ken had arranged for an outing for his PMI group, and we also got tickets for his Mom and for Shane and Matt. We got some beers and then had our picnic dinner. The game was fun, but since none of us follow them really closely, it’s mostly just an excuse to mess around and have fun and be silly. We’re good at that! Every Friday, they do fireworks, so we ooh-ed and ahh-ed and enjoyed them a lot! (The popped collars were to tease my niece Heather, who has a major problem with popped collars!)

Our friend Andy and his parents were in town this weekend, so we met them for lunch on Saturday. It’s always great to see Andy, it was great to see his Dad again (we had met him once before when they were in town for a game and stayed with us), and it was wonderful to meet his Mom. She is just a lovely lady! It was a beautiful day, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy it. We gabbed about several things, and although I don’t often start talking politics with people whose views I don’t know, I did this time (I know Andy has a liberal bent). I sent him a message later and said I hoped I wasn’t out of line in doing that, and he said it’s always fun to talk about politics and religion! I must not have been too outrageous, because I saw his folks again today (more in a moment), and his Mom said that she’s glad Ken and I are friends with Andy. I don’t think there’s any way to take that in a bad way, do you? They are just super nice people. I look forward to seeing them again one of these days!


Oh, and Andy had some tickets for us. Super excited! We love going to games, and are forever grateful for Andy’s help in getting tickets.


That afternoon, we just took it easy and enjoyed the gorgeous day. We both sat out on the deck and soaked up some sun, and ended up falling asleep out there!

Sunday was another relaxing day. Ken got a round of golf in, and got the lawn mowed. He revved up the chainsaw and chopped up that small oak tree that fell last week. Dinner was barbecued ribs, corn on the cob, and some cucumbers and onions. All really yummy! Watched a movie. It was a very pleasant weekend, with beautiful weather. The summer seems to be winding down, so that feeling of wanting to enjoy it as much as possible is setting in. The days are still nice, but it’s getting cooler at night. Great for sleeping, but still an indication that fall isn’t too far away. The summer has flown by! ::sigh::

Today Ken went back to work, and I headed over to Notre Dame to hear Andy speak. This was fun for me for a couple of reasons. Although I know where the stadium and pavilion and hockey arena are, as well as the performing arts center--oh, and the library, of course!--I’m not all that familiar with the campus. So I had to go online to find a map so I could locate Fitzpatrick Hall of Engineering. I had no problem, although I did ask a nice gentleman walking by if that building I was heading towards was Fitzpatrick. I was on the right track! Then it was a matter of finding the right classroom, and I had no problem. Jeez, it was such a throwback to my college days...trying to find the building, finding the classroom. For some reason, I was always nervous about that, but I always managed.

His parents were there today, and we sat together. We laughed as the room started filling up. There were the three of us, and the students were mostly clustering to our left. I said, “Three of these things are not like the other...can you guess which ones?” His Mom seemed to get a real kick out of that!

Dr. Andy VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Andy did a great job with his talk. He discussed his project he helped to work on at CERN, which was about measuring and filtering aerosols, and his focus was on particulate matter. This has applications in climate science (what needs to be present so that these aerosols form?) as well as personal monitoring equipment. Andy’s research focused on particles less than 10 nanometers. Much of it was beyond me, but I have enough of a background in Chemistry that I was able to grasp the concepts. Some of his former professors were there, and they were the ones who asked the most questions after the talk. Andy had immediate answers for them, which always indicates to me that the lecturer knows their stuff. I told Ken that he seemed like a natural at the podium, very approachable, engaging, and knowledgeable. Along with his main job, he is going to be an adjunct professor at USC in Nanotechnology, and might be doing a thing here and there with Notre Dame, too. Fantastic job, Andy! Yay!

After parting ways with Andy and his folks and wishing them safe travels, I headed back to my car. I don’t feel guilty about not working out today, because I got a good walk in! It was such a beautiful day, it’s such a gorgeous campus, and I was feeling so good that I must have had a dopey smile on my face. I exchanged grins with a guy on a bike as I tried to get out of his way, smiled and waved ‘thank you’ at someone in a car who let me walk ahead of him, and even exchanged a smile and a nod with a priest that I passed. I walked by the stadium on the way back and got a couple of pictures, including one of the statue of my favorite ND football coach, Lou Holtz. When you’re there for a game, there is just a mass of humanity in front of all the statues, so I was able to get a nice shot without all the humanity!

ND campus VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I really need to check into going to more lectures there, because I enjoyed that thoroughly. We live about ten minutes away from one of the nation’s premier universities, so I should take more advantage of that.

Another early night tonight, because I’m picking Ken’s Mom up tomorrow to take her to her MRI appointment. Happy slumber!

I’m aliiiiive!

Whoops, I can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since I updated! I guess this was a needed hiatus. I’ve just been enjoying the waning summer since we got back from our recent trip. It’s only mid-August, so we should still be having some warm and humid weather, but it’s been surprisingly cool, with a hint of autumn in the air. Anyone in the Midwest knows what “a hint of autumn” means, and it’s more than a little bittersweet.

I’ll try to do a quick recap of our trip back from Florida, and get a little caught up here.

Our drive down to Florida was mostly Interstate, so we could get down there quickly. On the way back, we took the back roads, which are always much more fun and interesting! We drove up along the Atlantic coast in Florida, and entered the Lowcountry of South Carolina on our way to Charleston. I was captivated by the area. There were vast landscapes of swamps, punctuated by stands of tall pines and live oaks dripping with moss. We encountered places with rundown homes and trailers, only to see working plantations a little farther down the road...a long lane lined with live oaks, just like in pictures you’ve seen!

On our journey through the Lowcountry, we stopped in Conway for lunch. It was a nice little bistro on Main Street called Crady’s. I had a delicious Turkey Caprese sandwich, and Ken had a Cordon Bleu Panini. The owner came out to talk with us, and she was a very charming lady. I wish we’d had more time in Conway, because it was a river town, and it looked like they had a fairly vibrant downtown and a riverwalk. The owner is also a baker, so we got some biscotti and a toasted macadamia nut turtle to go. Mmm, delicious!

Charleston was a charming, smallish city. We headed downtown for a bite to eat, and planned on walking around the downtown area after dinner, but when we walked out of the restaurant, it was pouring down rain! We weren’t very lucky with weather on this trip, but we know that’s a risk in August. However, we saw enough that I told Ken that I would really enjoy going back to the area for a full vacation. There is a lot of history in Charleston, and I thought the downtown area was very intriguing. I noticed gas lamps like you see in New Orleans, and mentioned that to Ken. Oddly enough, my niece Jen said that she has several colleagues who have spent quite a bit of time in Charleston, and it’s one of their favorite places. She said that it seems to be an amalgam of Cape Cod and New Orleans. That’s exactly how it struck me, too! So yes, we’ll be going back there. It looked like a really neat place to visit!

After that, we headed up to Raleigh, where we met our long-time blogger friend, Sheria. I’ve spent some time in Raleigh before, but it was for technical school, so I saw nothing of the city. This time we got to go downtown, to meet Sheria at a barbecue place of her picking, The Pit. There I learned the difference between sweet, tomato based barbecue that Yankees prefer (haha!) and East Carolina barbecue, where the sauce is vinegar-based. I loved the vinegar-based stuff! It was delicious. (There is also the barbecue we encountered in Memphis, which is more of a dry rub. I’m really enjoying learning about various types of barbecue!) Beyond the food, which was incredibly good, we had a wonderful time talking with Sheria. I believe we talked and laughed and visited for close to FOUR HOURS.

What a pleasure to meet someone we’ve known online for at least five years. I think I was a little nervous about meeting her, and she said she was a little bit nervous about meeting us, but I knew that if you’ve been friends with someone online for five years, chances are good that you’re going to get along in real life. And that was the case! We talked and talked, everything from life in the South to religion to lots and LOTS of politics! Time went by so quickly, and before we knew it, it was almost 10 pm. We agreed to meet up the next day for lunch, so we had a nice time together before we headed out again. That was the morning that Romney announced that Paul Ryan was his VP pick, so we had plenty to discuss! (I’ll be writing more about that soon. I’ve been posting numerous articles on Facebook about it, so that’s another reason I’ve been scarce on blog posting.) It was yet another great experience in meeting one of our blogger friends. We’ve lost track of how many we’ve met, but we have never had a bad experience! Sheria is a true gem, and I am so pleased to call her my friend. I know that Ken feels the same way!

Then we headed north again. The plan was to stay in Charleston, West Virginia, but we went a little farther past that. It had been a while since I’d been in West Virginia, and I feel that it is really one of our most beautiful states. I love the rolling hills and the low mountains of Appalachia. We’ll be heading back to that area (eastern Kentucky, to be specific) soon, for a weekend with my family.

After a lot of driving, we were happy to get home. Sheeba was also happy to have us home, and with the cooler weather, he has been Velcro Kitty, as Kim says! On my lap, curling up with us at night, following us around...he’s our special boy!

One of the cool things from Florida was our visit with my Aunt June and Cousin Greg. I believe I mentioned that previously, that we had dinner together, but I didn’t mention the present she brought me. Her and Greg collected penguins at one point, and although they got rid of most of them, they still had a couple. When Aunt June realized that I collect penguins, she brought me a couple of beauties, which you can see here. One is a gorgeous black and red glass one that sits under a glass dome. The other is a foot tall, and he is made of glass, he is a decanter, and he is a freakin’ MUSIC BOX! That is one handsome, hollow, liquid-holding, music-playing penguin! I was so delighted to see these wonderful penguins, and so grateful to my Aunt June for giving them to me. I have nothing like them, and I will find special places for these beauties. Very unique penguins, and I am very honored to have them. Thank you, Aunt June!

Penguins VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

After a week of taking care of business, we enjoyed an evening at our local minor league ballpark with Ken’s Mom, Shane, and Matt, and then we got a pleasant surprise when we heard that our friend Andy and his parents were in town for the weekend. We met up with them for lunch today at a place near Notre Dame and had a very pleasant time sitting outside and eating and talking. Andy is giving a talk at ND on Monday, and I plan on getting directions to the place where he is talking and going to see him give a discussion about aerosols. He is doing well after his graduation, enjoying his new job, and recently made another trip to South Korea for a space camp for kids there. He was still sporting a temporary NASA tattoo. :) I want one!

That is the latest! We’re just enjoying the last month or so of summer, and it’s hard to believe that we’ll soon be heading into fall. ::sigh:: We have lots of fun things planned for September, too, and I hope we have nice weather for it. But why did the summer fly by so fast? ::double sigh::

Enjoy a rather obscure song from one of my favorite '80s compilation albums, "No Wave." This is "I'm Alive" by The Secret.

Dammit, Jim, I’m a vacationer, not a blogger!

Shameful. Just shameful. Every night, except for that first travel night, I’ve meant to write a blog entry, but nooooo. I just keep being all vacationy and junk.

To catch up a little bit. Friday night we made it past Chattanooga and stayed just north of Atlanta, in a suburb called Kennesaw. I had been to Kennesaw before with my folks, when we went to the Civil War battlefield there. The warm, damp evening and the sound of the cicadas brought back fond memories of my time in north Georgia, where I spent my summers between college with my parents (they bought a house there). When Ken and I left in the morning, there was that same quiet, wet, slightly overcast ‘hush’ that I remembered so well. Like being surrounded by damp cotton...but a good feeling, not a creepy one. Everything smelled fresh and clean. It never fails to amaze me how a certain quality can trigger such intense memories. I enjoyed my time in college, including my summers in the north Georgia mountains, so it was a very pleasant memory.

Then we were off on the final leg of our trip, and got into New Smyrna Beach around 5:30 and got checked in. Due to some changes in management of the timeshare property, we have a short week this time (we’re leaving Thursday morning), and we didn’t get into the building we are usually in. But it actually worked out better! It’s got a different layout, which is fine, and the walls seem rather thin, which is annoying, but we have a nice long balcony and we look out right onto the ocean. The best part is that it is much quieter, because they don’t play loud, irritating music poolside or play stupid games with the guests or make constant announcements about signing up for the tie-dye t-shirt activity. ::sigh:: The pool is right outside our condo, but it’s a small pool and it’s been very quiet. Beyond that is the walkway to the beach, then the beach, and then hey presto! The Atlantic Ocean! I would be happy to stay in this building again, although next time we might get one of the little bungalows.

As you can see in the above photo, it wasn’t exactly nice weather on Saturday. In fact, it POURED that night. We went to our usual first night restaurant, PJ’s SeaShack, and sat in the bar area with open windows and watched the rain just pour off the roof. We also watched a group of people having their 20th high school reunion. I’m guessing that they probably didn’t remember enough to feel embarrassed the next day...but they should have!

Sunday was also a washout weather-wise, gloomy and grey. But it was still nice enough to sit outside and read, and to watch the Olympics when we’d come inside. In the evening, my Aunt June and Cousin Greg were nice enough to come down from Daytona Beach to visit us, and we had a very yummy dinner at a place called Blackbeard’s. (Yarrrr!) All the years we’ve been coming down here, and we’d never gone to that restaurant! It was good enough that we will add it to the rotation. We had a really nice time talking and laughing, and look forward to seeing Aunt June again when she comes up for an extended stay with my Mom.

Oh, Ken told me to let this go, but I said I wasn’t going to let it go until I blogged about it! On the way out to the car to meet up with Aunt June and Greg, we found that someone had double-parked behind us. Someone else was nearby unloading their vehicle, and she said it was a couple who unloaded a couple of coolers and took them upstairs. So there we were, unable to get out of the parking space. There was absolutely no way to finagle it to get out. Ken walked upstairs to see if he could see anyone that might be them, and I waited by the car and fumed. Finally some dude came down and was standing by the car, and by this time, I was spittin’ fire. I was like “Is this your car?!” He said yeah, she’s getting the keys right now. I said, “What were you thinking just parking here? You can’t do that!” The guy just looked uncomfortable and shrugged and said, “Sorry...she’s getting the keys right now.” But I wasn’t done yet. I said, “You don’t just park behind a car to unload your stuff! I mean, you couldn’t even pull over THERE by the curb so that any of these cars could get out? What were you thinking??” Ken finally had to say, “Beth.” I think I muttered one final, disgusted, “Jesus,” and got in our car. I told Ken that actually, he should be kind of proud of me, because I didn’t cuss the guy out. Not a single F-bomb passed my lips. Oh, I wanted to, believe me...but I think I showed remarkable restraint. [wink] But seriously...who does that?! How unbelievably arrogant and rude!

There. I blogged about it, so now I’ll let it go.

Last night, we stayed up to watch the landing of the Mars rover, Curiosity. I’m really glad I stayed up (even though I was so jazzed up I was awake until after 3 am), because it was nothing less than amazing. Science rocks!

Today turned out to be beautiful and sunny, so Ken went for a run while I read. We had a brief appointment with management at 12:30, which we followed up with more reading (Ken had to do a little work, I’m sorry to say), and then a walk down the beach to one of our yearly stops, Breakers, for a couple of beers and burgers. Their burgers are consistently voted as the best in central Florida, and they really are amazingly good. Even when you get them well done (which I do), they’re still juicy and full of flavor. So I got my Breakers burger fix! Then it was back to the condo for some more reading, which soon resulted in what was a combination of a nap and a food coma. A nafooco.

Now it’s more Olympics, and hoping for another nice day tomorrow.

And now you’re all caught up!

My bags are packed, I’m ready to go

Well, not quite. We’ve got everything laid out, but Ken, the Master Packer (hush your mouth) still needs to get the suitcases loaded. And we aren’t leaving on a jet plane...since I stopped working, we’ve been driving down to Florida rather than flying. ROAD TRIP! Unfortunately, we can’t really take our time getting down there, so it will be Interstate travel. On the way back, we’ll probably get a little off the beaten path, and that is always fun and often an adventure!

It’s our annual trip to our timeshare at New Smyrna Beach, and I look forward to it every year. Some wonder why we go to Florida in the summer, but we like the hot weather and a warm ocean, and our timeshare is right on the beach, so we get a very brisk ocean breeze. We’re looking forward to seeing my Aunt June and Cousin Greg, who live in Daytona Beach and are coming down to have dinner with us. (Unfortunately, Greg’s son Russell is off doing military training as he prepares for his last year of aviation school at Embry-Riddle, so we won’t get to see him. An amazing and super smart young man!) Other than that, we have no real plans for our time in Florida other than our usual ‘vegecation’: reading, ocean, beer, sun, and visits to some of our favorite restaurants. (Mmm...a walk down the beach for a burger at Breakers! My mouth is already watering! And real Key Lime Pie!) Of course, this year, we’ll also be watching the Olympics in the evening. I think that’s a first for our Florida trip. In fact, I’m sure of it.

As for my reading, I’ve been struggling a little bit with Of Human Bondage. I’m enjoying it, but I’m not tearing through it, so I think I want to set it aside on this vacation and read something a little more fun. I’ve chosen The Audacity to Win by David Plouffe, about the 2008 Obama run for the presidency. Yes, I know I’m a little bit insane, but I started reading it today, and I’m already loving it! I’m getting fired up about this fall, so I’m happy with my book choice. My Kindle is well-loaded and ready for bear, so I may choose a fun book after that...maybe an Egyptian mystery or something like that.

On our way back, we’ll be making a stop in Charleston (I’ve never been there, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it’s a place we might want to revisit, like Memphis.), and then a couple of nights in Raleigh. I’m super excited about that, because we get to meet our long-time blogger and Facebook friend, the fabulous Ms. Sheria! She is a total peach, and I am so excited to meet her. Lucy and Ethel, baby! I guess that would make Ken Ricky...?

We’ll be taking our laptops and blogging from Florida, although I’m not sure if it will be every day. But there will be pictures!

Before I go, just a quick commentary on the Chick-Fil-A brouhaha. (And yes, I WILL be paying attention to politics while we’re on vacation! You have been warned.) This cartoon says it perfectly for me. I don’t dispute the right of Dan Cathy to spew whatever bigotry he wants to spew, and I don’t disagree with his right to contribute his money to whatever hate groups to which he wants to contribute. But rest assured: if you are the owner of a company and you come out with your thoughts on social issues, there are going to be people who disagree. And you know what? We have every right to push back, protest, and voice our disagreement. The First Amendment works both ways. I don’t believe anyone is suggesting that Dan Cathy should shut up and not voice his feelings about marriage equality. But I’m also not going to shut up about my opposition to that viewpoint, and I am going to continue to support the right for everyone to have the same rights as the rest of us. This is constantly being framed as a religious issue, but it is not. It is a human rights issue. Dan Cathy, you put it out there. Don’t cry ‘foul’ when people push back. Welcome to the jungle, baby!

For a couple of great reads about it, I recommend this recent entry from Hemant Mehta, as well as my friend Mark Olmsted’s blog post. I approve of these viewpoints.

Catch ya soon!