SwimFinsSF

North Carolina Christmas

So i’m finally back to my usual schedule (kinda – still off work but got a lot to do so i’m workin anyway)… Christmas this year was fantastic but a little different than I’m accustomed to. As soon as I got back from Katie’s graduation I went into a whirlwind of activity. Had 2 days of work to do before Christmas with a TON to do for work, did ALL of my christmas shopping on a hour and a half lunch break on tuesday (the 23rd), had dinner with MY family tuesday night at The Waterfront Restaurant, and then packed for our trip.

But thats just where the fun began.
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My Li’l Sis

Just got back from a weekend in Colorado for my little sister’s graduation. She graduated on Friday from the University of Colorado Boulder with a Degree in Psychology and a minor in Business Administration. It sounds cheesy but I’m REALLY Proud of her. She not only managed to survive 4 1/2 years at CU (which, for as big a party school as it is, is no small feat) but she did it with flying colors – she even got personal email from her Advanced Business Law professor on friday saying that she had earned a solid A and that he would be more than happy to write any recommendations she needed.

‘Atta girl Katie – WAY TO KICK ASS!

Katie’s Graduation from CU

( I also got to see my little brother, his wife Jacki, and their son Justin which was very cool too ! 🙂 )

Music in my Life

Another tid-bit about me. Music has always been a huge part of my life – whether performing or enjoying – and every so often I stumble into something that really touches me for whatever reason. You know – one of those songs that sparks an emotion or a memory every time you hear it. Mind you I’m not talking about the feeling you get when you hear ANY music – if you’re paying attention you should have a response to every song or the performer isn’t doing their job. I’m talking about that small selection of pieces that mean something to you personally. Some of ’em I don’t remember until I hear them – some of them I can always pick out. Here’s a few

• The Way it is – Bruce Hornsby and the Range: My high school English teacher made us listen this in class one day. Most of the class kind of rolled their eyes with this ‘what is that old man forcing on us’ but it caught my attention. It was probably the beginning of my starting to question and analyze what I saw in my life and was told rather than just accepting things. Read the lyrics if you haven’t – not super deep but at the time they struck me as pretty important.
  
• Somebody – Depeche Mode: I heard this for the first time in college and it probably got to me the same way it does most people. The song just seems to quantify a kind of deep desire that most everyone has in one form or another in a very nice way.. Still like it even now. (lyrics)
  
• Bolèro – Ravel: Bolero was one of my first examples of the nuances of classical music. This piece, performed well, shows all of the range and emotion that can go into well performed classical music and the talent required to deliver it. Done correctly you can barely tell the transition from intrument to instrument – all you notice is the building of layer upon layer until, before you know it, the orchestra is blowing your hair back.
  A Night on Bald Mountain – Moussorgsky: This is another piece that made me REALLY appreciate classical music – this time for the ability it has to tell a story. With this piece you can sit back, close your eyes, and listen as the composer tells you a story and the beautiful part is every person that hears it comes up with a slightly different image. Check out Fantasia if you want to see a visualization of Disney’s version of that story. STILL Love it!
  
• Beautiful – Christina Aguilera: When I first heard this song I kinda wrote it off as a nice and fun circuit song (yes – I heard it late one night at Club Universe).. But later I saw the video and listened to the words and got a lump in my throat. The message – as simple as it is – is something everyone should keep in mind. And the video with the anorexic girl, the two gay boys, the young kid, the transsexual, and the high school girls was FANTASTIC. (lyrics)
  

Y’all got any?

December 1, 2003 – World AIDS Day

In case you think you don’t need to think about HIV and AIDS any more read these:

• CDC Reports AIDS Cases Up for First Time in Decade
  
• Study Shows Alarming Spread of Drug-Resistant HIV
  
• HIV/AIDS Statistics, NIAID Fact Sheet
  

And then save these away for safe keeping

• World AIDS Day
  
• National Institutes of Health – World AIDS Day
  
• San Francisco AIDS Foundation
  
• The Body: World AIDS Day 2003
  
• AIDS Education Global Information System
  

This isn’t just about gay men. Its not about injection drug users. Its not about people in far off lands. Its not about people from the 80s. Its here, its now, its real, and it effects every one of us.

Be safe, be educated, and be heard…

The Marriage Amendment

Thanks to the BoiFromTroy via the SoCalLawBlog I’d like to pass on these guidelines for those who support a constitutional amendment defining marriage based on biblical.

1. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women.(Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5.)
2. Marriage shall not impede a man’s right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)
3. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed (Deut 22:13-21)
4. D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden.(Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)
5. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be
   construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)
6. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother’s widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10) *”

If you can sell THAT to congress and the American people more power to ya.

(I know this has made the rounds – but it bears repeating)

Tis the season

To get REALLY stressed out… LORD… Don’t get me wrong. Christmas time is nice and all – but why is it that all the stresses in my life collide at this time EVERY YEAR. You’d think I’d have learned to deal with it by now – but it just gets my stomach tied up in knots… Work – House stuff – Travel for the holidays – Christmas shopping… It all is makin me CRAZY right now.. Oh.. And I would REALLY like to thank the city and county of San Francisco for making property taxes due on December 10th and my supplemental due on December 31st. I do appreciate it..

*sigh*… Ah well.. just gotta suck it up and do the best I can! 😉

Did enjoy having some time off from work though!