May 17th, 2004. Midnight. Cambridge, MA.
Same sex marriage has been legal for seven years now.
And the world has yet to end.
To the plaintiff couples who bravely stood up for equality, you are extraordinary. Thank you for paving the path.
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/11/18/sjc_gay_marriage_legal_in_mass/
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Joneses...
....and keeping up with them.
Arden and I had to go to the dairy this evening. Our dairy is a couple of towns over in Dracut, MA. I am intrigued by this town. It's small town farm country just steps away from the congested city in which we live.
For some reason, I think the homes we wind by are happy homes. There is nothing spectacular about most of them. The simple cape with the meticulous garden out front ... the ranch with the carport and the funny looking lawn jockey...the house that flies the NE Patriots flag and hosts game day for the neighborhood.
Deeper into Dracut though, the farms are being taken over by McMansion-ville. Giant, cheaply made, soul-less houses. We know. We looked at one about a year ago. Yep, it was all shiny and new, but I think I could have put a finger through the dry wall. But these...these are the houses of the Joneses, aren't they? We live in a world where the happy little capes just aren't enough. We must have bigger, we must have better than our friends and colleagues. We compare our houses and cars and lives to the ones our high school friends have ... thank you, Facebook, for making that possible. High school competition revisited in adulthood.
Echo Lake Productions captures the world in which we live in brilliant fashion with The Joneses. We stumbled across this movie on On Demand recently, and it is worth the watch. It is insightful and, frankly, frighteningly accurate.
www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
Maybe one of these days we'll buy one of these happy little homes...well...happy little farms in Dracut, and the cow grazing next to the road will be ours.
Arden and I had to go to the dairy this evening. Our dairy is a couple of towns over in Dracut, MA. I am intrigued by this town. It's small town farm country just steps away from the congested city in which we live.
For some reason, I think the homes we wind by are happy homes. There is nothing spectacular about most of them. The simple cape with the meticulous garden out front ... the ranch with the carport and the funny looking lawn jockey...the house that flies the NE Patriots flag and hosts game day for the neighborhood.
Deeper into Dracut though, the farms are being taken over by McMansion-ville. Giant, cheaply made, soul-less houses. We know. We looked at one about a year ago. Yep, it was all shiny and new, but I think I could have put a finger through the dry wall. But these...these are the houses of the Joneses, aren't they? We live in a world where the happy little capes just aren't enough. We must have bigger, we must have better than our friends and colleagues. We compare our houses and cars and lives to the ones our high school friends have ... thank you, Facebook, for making that possible. High school competition revisited in adulthood.
Echo Lake Productions captures the world in which we live in brilliant fashion with The Joneses. We stumbled across this movie on On Demand recently, and it is worth the watch. It is insightful and, frankly, frighteningly accurate.
www.imdb.com/title/tt1285309/
Maybe one of these days we'll buy one of these happy little homes...well...happy little farms in Dracut, and the cow grazing next to the road will be ours.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Goal
Most nights I think to myself...man it's been a long time since I blogged. But then another night goes by, and another day, and well, here we are weeks later. We've been back from vacation just long enough that I'm bordering on desperate for another one. Already.
It doesn't help that it appears we are just skipping spring this year. But for a few days smattered here and there, this has been a grey, chilly, rainy spring. I'm not gonna lie, it's depressing. It rained all day today, and apparently is the start of a full week of it. Know what this means? A week of 2.5 hour commutes each morning. Because when it rains, people forget how to drive. Even though these are people who are (supposed to) know how to drive in things like snow.
Lest this be an entirely downer of a post, let's talk for a moment about Arden's latest sport...soccer. She loves it. Well, she loved it starting the second week. The first week she spent crying about getting tripped, kicked, and her knees dirty. Our child. It was as if she had been taken over by some other girl. Through her tears..."this (hiccup) is not like it is at school." Oh. Right. School. Where the seas part upon her arrival...where no child dares challenge her. These soccer kids don't know of her Madonna-esque...do not make eye contact with me you underbeings...existence. They're learning.
Dora joined us on week two. Not a tear has been shed since. I think it's a combination of not daring to cry in front of Dora about getting kicked, but perhaps also the promise of Cracker Barrel for breakfast upon a job well done. What? Bribery gets you far in life, doesn't it? Regardless, it's worked. This was week four or five and she loves it. It is one of my favorite things each week, because she is so happy on the field. And she is running for a full hour straight, which leads to a calm, cool and collected kid for the remainder of the day. When will she be old enough to do this everyday?
Pictures from this week:
Running. In case this picture needed clarification.
Front and center ... no longer afraid of getting kicked.
Soccer for the U6 crowd shouldn't be called soccer as much as it should be called semi-controlled chaos.
SCORE
SCORE AGAIN
Battling the blonde kid who is a fierce soccer competitor. Future Mia Hamm.
Down the field...for yet another goal.
So the question now...soccer or swimming scholarship?
It doesn't help that it appears we are just skipping spring this year. But for a few days smattered here and there, this has been a grey, chilly, rainy spring. I'm not gonna lie, it's depressing. It rained all day today, and apparently is the start of a full week of it. Know what this means? A week of 2.5 hour commutes each morning. Because when it rains, people forget how to drive. Even though these are people who are (supposed to) know how to drive in things like snow.
Lest this be an entirely downer of a post, let's talk for a moment about Arden's latest sport...soccer. She loves it. Well, she loved it starting the second week. The first week she spent crying about getting tripped, kicked, and her knees dirty. Our child. It was as if she had been taken over by some other girl. Through her tears..."this (hiccup) is not like it is at school." Oh. Right. School. Where the seas part upon her arrival...where no child dares challenge her. These soccer kids don't know of her Madonna-esque...do not make eye contact with me you underbeings...existence. They're learning.
Dora joined us on week two. Not a tear has been shed since. I think it's a combination of not daring to cry in front of Dora about getting kicked, but perhaps also the promise of Cracker Barrel for breakfast upon a job well done. What? Bribery gets you far in life, doesn't it? Regardless, it's worked. This was week four or five and she loves it. It is one of my favorite things each week, because she is so happy on the field. And she is running for a full hour straight, which leads to a calm, cool and collected kid for the remainder of the day. When will she be old enough to do this everyday?
Pictures from this week:
Running. In case this picture needed clarification.
Front and center ... no longer afraid of getting kicked.
Soccer for the U6 crowd shouldn't be called soccer as much as it should be called semi-controlled chaos.
SCORE
SCORE AGAIN
Battling the blonde kid who is a fierce soccer competitor. Future Mia Hamm.
Down the field...for yet another goal.
So the question now...soccer or swimming scholarship?Sunday, April 17, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Is there a Disney 12-step program?
If there is, it's clear we need one. We surprised Arden with a trip the first week of April. Hey, we had to make our annual passes worth it! I remain amazed that we didn't slip up and tell her beforehand. I'm trying to get the video to upload here but it's not working. I shall continue to try. Meanwhile, I have pictures. Be forewarned, there is no rhyme or reason to these pictures at this point, just ones that I love. Will do another post with a review of our hotel and other things. Riveting, no? Entrance of the Magic Kingdom! 
Breakfast the first morning at Ohana at the Polynesian.
Her love for Stitch still runs deep.
With one of the horses from Mary Poppins
Breakfast the first morning at Ohana at the Polynesian. 
Her love for Stitch still runs deep.
With one of the horses from Mary Poppins
Most pictures involve karate nowadays.
All gussied up for dinner at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. As you can see, George was gussied up too.
EPCOT!
We managed to get a walk up at Chef Mickey's. Unheard of. This made her happy.
She still loves Pluto.
Kisses from Minnie
With Goofy and Mama!
The best thing about our hotel this time ... the lifeguards play games with the kids!
On the People Mover on our last night. Dora is tan.
"Arden, smile."
Dancing at Marrakesh in Morocco. Well, the EPCOT version of Morocco.
All gussied up for dinner at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. As you can see, George was gussied up too.
EPCOT!
We managed to get a walk up at Chef Mickey's. Unheard of. This made her happy.
She still loves Pluto.
Kisses from Minnie
With Goofy and Mama!
The best thing about our hotel this time ... the lifeguards play games with the kids! 
On the People Mover on our last night. Dora is tan. 
"Arden, smile."
Dancing at Marrakesh in Morocco. Well, the EPCOT version of Morocco. 
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Glee
Glee is by far my favorite show on tv these days. In fact, I can't remember the last time I loved a show so much. They break into song..in the hallways. It's like a little dose of Broadway every week. Does it get better??? No...no it does not.
But my appreciation for the show goes far beyond the music. It embraces the different -- on Glee, you see, different is normal. It's for the theatre nerds and the band geeks and the choir members. The storylines are real, from the bullied to the teased to the confused. Glee has taken a powerful step, introducing the first on screen example of two teen boys falling for each other. It is touchpoints like these that are exceptionally important for the lost souls of high school. This song captures it all perfectly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ59jBudWwQ
Lest you think I go a whole post without mentioning the child -- I am proud to say she too is a lover of Glee. She requests their music in the car, at bedtime, you name it. Tonight she wrote a song in the shower...'for Glee' -- something about rock and roll and fire. Future leader of a grunge band.
But my appreciation for the show goes far beyond the music. It embraces the different -- on Glee, you see, different is normal. It's for the theatre nerds and the band geeks and the choir members. The storylines are real, from the bullied to the teased to the confused. Glee has taken a powerful step, introducing the first on screen example of two teen boys falling for each other. It is touchpoints like these that are exceptionally important for the lost souls of high school. This song captures it all perfectly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ59jBudWwQ
Lest you think I go a whole post without mentioning the child -- I am proud to say she too is a lover of Glee. She requests their music in the car, at bedtime, you name it. Tonight she wrote a song in the shower...'for Glee' -- something about rock and roll and fire. Future leader of a grunge band.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring! Sort of.
Thursday the temps started trending up. Arden broke out the scooter and the dog rejoiced that she was finally getting to leave the yard. By Friday it was 70. And then today at about 10AM it started to snow. And snow....and snow. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
The kid and I had a grand time this weekend. D had to travel for work, so we lived it up. Movies -- Mars Needs Moms; lunch with her intended on Saturday at the aforementioned Cafe Verde. Shopping for spring/summer clothes for the kiddo and tools for organization of her playroom. Sunday we stuck close to home and purged, organized and cleaned. She only cried once when she discovered a McDonald's toy in a bag headed for the trash. That she hadn't seen or played with for a couple of years. Good thing she didn't dig much deeper...I was merciless.
Some pictures of the last few days...
As of Thursday this was the last snow at the Reservoir. As of today, it looks different.
Making our way to lunch.
Sportin' her new sweater. I need to get her a Yankees one.
This was yesterday afternoon at the playground...no jacket or sweatshirt needed. Demonstrating her soccer skills. We signed her up for soccer starting in the spring.
It was fun while it lasted!
The kid and I had a grand time this weekend. D had to travel for work, so we lived it up. Movies -- Mars Needs Moms; lunch with her intended on Saturday at the aforementioned Cafe Verde. Shopping for spring/summer clothes for the kiddo and tools for organization of her playroom. Sunday we stuck close to home and purged, organized and cleaned. She only cried once when she discovered a McDonald's toy in a bag headed for the trash. That she hadn't seen or played with for a couple of years. Good thing she didn't dig much deeper...I was merciless.
Some pictures of the last few days...
As of Thursday this was the last snow at the Reservoir. As of today, it looks different.
Making our way to lunch.
Sportin' her new sweater. I need to get her a Yankees one.
This was yesterday afternoon at the playground...no jacket or sweatshirt needed. Demonstrating her soccer skills. We signed her up for soccer starting in the spring.
It was fun while it lasted!
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