Thanks, Weak Dollar, For Destroying Another Gift Occasion For Me

My brain hurts from trying to figure out the time zone distance every time I think of Nicole. She is in London, five hours ahead, and for some reason this simple mathematical equation makes my head hurt. It’s noonish here so it is quitting time over there for her.

The ladies and I are on Day Two of our alone existence. So far, it has been fine (knock on all wood). Bedtime last time was a breeze (both down by 6:15); they slept until almost 8:00; and except for a little moodiness during the day (it might be teeth or missing mommy, who can tell) all was well. But today is Tuesday, and I have to do this until Friday, with no good gifts to look forward to as an incentive since the dollar is so weak in England. So to make myself feel better, I’m heading up to Williams-Sonoma to buy cookie cutters.

Nicole’s first post, which I posted here and she posted on her Facebook page, has generated lots of discussion. I am loving the debate, and learning things from others. (By the way, she said it is ok to forward what she wrote to others.)

Below are my comments to Nicole’s post, because the girls are waking up and I don’t have time to be original. Above are pictures of Maddie grabbing her cow duck. I would love to frame these pictures and put them in the bathroom, but Nicole doesn’t believe in pictures in the bathroom.

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OK, my thoughts:

It’s great that McCain does not endorse an amendment to the constitution banning gay marriage, but he also doesn’t propose/support an amendment in favor of it. Neither does Obama. Both want kudos for NOT supporting a ban, but neither is strong enough to stand up and say “Let’s get this worked out for our gay American friends!” As if the world will fall apart if the country recognized my right to marry Nicole.

I don’t care how maverick McCain thinks he is or how maverick/pro-change Obama thinks he is: In the end, both will capitulate to the doctrines and dogma and desires of their respective parties. Both presidential noms and Biden (not Palin) are very much members of the DC Insider’s Club, as was Hillary. No surprises there. Palin? To me, just a distraction. At this point, 99 percent of this election is focused on her. We (I mean “we” in the universal sense) are all so busy busy busy debating, discussing, denouncing and demonizing Palin that we are completely distracted from the REAL issues.

Frankly, neither candidate really has any plan to increase rights for me, and it is quite frustrating. In my lifetime, I hope to see this corrected. I take comfort in the fact that no civil rights movement has ever failed (in other words, laws protect, even when hatred and prejudice exists) but I am getting a bit impatient. Here is a sample thought process: If I die in a car accident alone, what hoops will Nicole have to jump through to make sure no one takes her children away from her? Until the adoption is complete (and 15K later) our girls are considered all mine and not hers and in the event of my death, wards of the state. My straight married friends don’t need to worry about that, thank goodness. But these sort of things can keep me up at night.

I identify with democrat for many reasons, but that is not to say that I am thrilled to bits with Obama. I am not. I am still perplexed by the Messiah-fication of Obama, who was a virtual unknown to the rest of the country (but not Illinois) until the last election’s DNC. But after his big speech, he became the kinder, gentler politician who could do no wrong, a media and political darling. Instant superstar. Sounds a little like Palin, no? Except she is getting the nasty end of the media. And while it was discouraged to be brought up during Hillary’s campaign, I think it is worth it to revisit sexism.

But why I vote for Obama: Obama most likely won’t take rights away from me or appoint justices who might takes rights away from me. I can’t say the same about McCain.