The birthday report...

I have to admit, it was one helluva birthday. We started things on Friday night, and made rounds to the Alibi before landing at the Library. There was also a quick stop at a house party, and I was up until around 4am. A fantastic night, to be sure. After waking up late on Saturday, I lounged about the house a bit before heading out again.

Saturday night was birthday karaoke at the Library, and I would be remiss if I didn't thank Stew for juggling the DJ schedule there in order to make it happen! Josh, Randy, and Adam even came up from Denver to surprise me! Many fab friends showed up over the two nights, and it felt FAB.

Sunday there was more lounging with the boyfriend, and a few cocktails at the Library. I'm definitely becoming a (more) regular there, thanks in large part to the proximately to the frat for Jesse. :) My boss told me to take my birthday off, so Monday brought a 3 day weekend! I had lunch with Jesse at the Library, got a free dessert and serenade to boot. We went back to meet friends for cocktails later that night, got a birthday shot, another serenade (gotta love Songwyn!), and more time with the bf. Yes, you're sensing a trend.

Tuesday I woke up, shaved, showered, and got dressed to go back to work. They're replacing the windows in Old Main, and it was our turn. So when I showed up, everything was covered in plastic and moved around. We couldn't use the computers, turn on the meager portable air conditioning units, access the fax machine or files, etc. So it was decided to close the office. Gee, darn!

I took the chance to catch up with some folks, so I grabbed donuts and went down to the Laramie Reproductive Health (formerly Albany County Family Planning) clinic to see the gang. I got to hang with Bobbers, Jennie, and Charlotte in the morning. I then went down to the flower shop to return a vase after our reception last week. I ended up doing a couple deliveries for her since she was short staffed and I had a free day. I even picked up a new orchid...for Jesse. He loved it, and I think I earned a few brownie points. ;)

I went back to the clinic to try to fix up some of the computers in the afternoon, and then headed home. Jesse came over in the evening to hang out, do some laundry, and work on his Spanish homework. I have to admit, things are going very well there. I'm falling into DEEP smit, and doing my best not to pick out china patterns JUST yet. This was my first birthday with a boyfriend, and I am a big fan! I was pampered, adored, and spoiled rotten. *swoon* All in all, life is going very well.

Today's lesson: When you find yourself with some extra time, do something nice for someone else. It feels good inside, helps make things easier for those around you, and helps you reconnect with people around you.

Aging

Monday is my 5th annual 29th birthday. And I'm not overly happy about it. Each year it serves as a reminder that the semester is starting and the chaos is returning. That I'm another year older and more removed from the college students who surround me. That another batch of friends has left to start their "real lives" after college...or they soon will.

But the flip side of this logic is that it's another year of unique experiences, amazing friends, and unforgettable memories. It's another year of accomplishments completed, obstacles overcome, and challenges met. For every cloud, there's a silver lining, after all.

I don't like aging, but it's a necessary evil if one wants to live and learn. And it's important to celebrate making it through another year. To that end, there will be some going out going on this weekend. I'm spending Saturday afternoon with the boyfriend and his mom, and Sunday afternoon I'm helping Nell move. I think the Alibi and Library are likely bases of operation for the weekend, and Friday and Saturday nights will probably be spent OUT! Stop by and find me, give me a call to track me down, and for pity's sake, buy me a drink if you see me out! ;)

And remember: I may be getting older but I refuse to grow up!

I'm gonna snap into my own and tweak someone in the melon!

See, I knew it wouldn't be long before I witnessed something that pissed me off, and lead me to post about something other than my love life. Two things have me steamed this afternoon:

• Long time readers might remember that I had a few substantial posts during the last summer Olympics. I L-O-V-E the games, and miss watching them with my mom. I love the spirit of the games, the stories, and the sportsmanship that usually dominates. Last night I was out at the Library watching Jesse play poker while I took advantage of "Margarita Monday." The games were on, and eventually a loud group came into the bar and started paying attention to the TV's like me. When Phelps won a gold medal in one race and qualified for the next round in another, they started cheering and chanting "USA." Yes, go team, indeed! When they cut back to men's gymnastics, the comments and shouts took a different turn. Suddenly I was hearing derision about the other teams. I admit that I do sometimes say "don't stick the landing" or "feel free to bobble on the dismount" when the US is neck-and-neck with another team. Last night, however, I heard racial slurs and epithets being tossed around by some of the folks in the bar. It's one thing to cheer on your own team. But to get personal and insult or attack the other competitors because of happenstance of birth? NOT OK. Friends, please don't ever let me catch you falling into this pattern, because I hate ripping into my dearest ones. But Mama Gay will do so if necessary.
• Meet California Chief Justice Ronald George. He's the one who just wrote the majority opinion that legalized same-sex marriage in the Golden State. After 34 years as a judge in California (17 of them on the high court), he's largely known as a careful jurist. He was first appointed by Ronald Reagan (uber-Republican), and another Republican (Pete Wilson) appointed him as Chief Justice in 1996. He's been highly touted for modernizing and streamlining the court system in California. He's been tough on crime, and forced prosecutors to stick to their guns in the Hillside Strangler case, resulting in a conviction and 9 counts of murder. All in all, not someone most would call "an activist judge." Until now. Now, he's likely to have to raise one metric butt-ton of money to mount a re-election campaign. And I quote:

  ''Absolutely, Ron George should be thrown out for voting for gay marriage,'' said Mike Spence, president of the conservative California Republican Assembly. ''He has a very radical view of what's a family.'' (from the Advocate)

  You disagree with his opinion, so he should be out of a job?! Why not ask the correct questions, like "Is he a bad jurist? Has he been unfair in his decisions? Are his rulings consistent with the law?" His view of "family" is NOT grounds for a smear campaign. While we're at it, why don't we talk about the fact that he did not "VOTE for gay marriage." He interpreted the laws of the State of California in regards to a case on his desk. And three other justices agreed, hence the term "majority." I am SO sick of people tossing around the term "activist judge." It was used with Roe V. Wade. It was used with Brown V. Board of Education (you know, that whole separate but equal thing). Basic logic tells us that we can't always let majority opinion dictate what is right. It's why the judicial branch provides a check to the legislative. The rights of the minority cannot be left up to majority vote. If they were, women and people of color likely wouldn't even have the right to vote against gay marriage. Wyoming would not be a state. Interracial marriage would still be illegal. How many of things do we now look back on and say "Damn they/we were so stupid and blind. How could they have thought that was right?" You don't like the law? Work to change it. It's how the human rights movements have been working for ages. Work within the system, but don't get personal with someone because they're paid to read and review the rules.

I leave you with some quotes; please note they are not from dumb people:

• In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority. - James Madison
• All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression. - Thomas Jefferson
• One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights. - James Polk
• Too many Americans don't understand the importance of minority rights and the independent judiciary. - Douglas Abrams
• The majority is always wrong; the minority is rarely right. - Henrik Ibsen
• Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual). - Ayn Rand
  

Date #4

So it's been a busy week. Since my last post, there have been 2 more dates, two trips to Rendezvous, an interview with NBC Nightly News online (to run in Oct), and another day of moving.

Work is continuing and is going well, though I'm working my tail off and struggling to learn SO much SO quickly. I do love a challenge, though. We're gearing up for the start of semester, which means several training sessions on sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination.

I took Britt and Krystal up the mountain to see Jerry and Chuck for dinner on Tuesday, and we went up Saturday night as well. Good food, good friends, and campfire hijinks abound. I got to see several friends from Rendezvous past, and it was nice to catch up with some of the folks I don't see often.

NBC is putting together a story for the 10 year anniversary of Matt's murder. Rather than a 2 minute segment for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (who is funny and fairly yummy, by the way), they're working a longer piece for NBC Nightly Online. It won't run until October, so don't start googling yet. I'll post links and such when it goes live. :) People is working on a story already, as is the Boomerang. I have no doubt that more will follow soon. *sigh* Here I go again as the poster queen for Wyoming.

Now to the good stuff....the boy. Things are going well enough that I now feel comfortable revealing the secret identity of "my man" (for lack of a better or more official term). Some of you might know Jesse Taylor. He's an SAE, an anthro major, and is 29 years old. Yes...an adult! Date #2 was jazz night followed by karaoke. He endured the first "public" date well, and Britt, Krystal, Nell, Jess, Andrew, and Tamara all got to meet him (again, in some cases). It was REALLY nice being able to hold hands with someone in public.

Date #3 was yesterday. He came over around 2:30 and spent the afternoon cooking dinner for us. Yes, he can cook. Very well. Brought some fresh treats from his garden too. We ate on the back porch. Table cloth, formal place setting...the works. He cleaned the kitchen as he went too, earning major brownie points. We spent the day watching the Olympics, talking, learning more about each other, and cuddling on the couch. We've got SO much in common, and so far are getting along swimmingly. Date #4 is tonight. For those keeping score at home, this is 4 dates in a week. That might be more than I've had in the last 2 YEARS. So yeah, I'm grinning like an idiot.

So there's the update on my life, folks. I'm sure that soon I shall return to more ponderous subjects rather than trying to rely on book report-esque updates on my life. But many of you lurkers out there are starting to ask about the boy, so I thought it best to cut y'all off at the pass. More later....

Shit...that may have been a date!

I don't know how it happened. I wasn't looking for it, to be sure. But then again, that's when everyone says it's supposed to happen. Hell, that's when I've said it's supposed to happen. It all started Friday night...

I was dragged, kicking and screaming of course, out on the town Friday. We were supposed to wander around the Farmer's Market, pick up ingredients for dinner, and then go to someone's place to cook. Naturally since there are several fine establishments downtown, we'd stop in for a happy hour along the way. As per usual, plans quickly shifted, and after the happy hour we went to Altitude's for dinner.

Later that evening, we hit the Buckhorn for one drink. Then Tommy's for a martini. By this time, some of us were decidedly intoxi-fi-mi-cated. I know...shocking, right? The group split and I diligently followed my designated driver and crew to the 3rd Street Cowboy. Being the social butterfly that I am, I ran into several folks I know. Rob, Doug, and Devon. Todd. And someone I hadn't seen since a karaoke night a while back. Someone I've always thought was cute (we'll just call him J for now), but never gave me a second glance. Or so I thought. That's when I felt the pat on the ass. Or did I imagine it? I was pretty liquored by this point, after all. Maybe it's just my wishful thinking, imagination, or the large quantities of vodka.

Half my crew went out to the patio, and soon J was there too. And we talked. And flirted a bit. And texted. We both agreed that we were interested, but wanted to be adult and find out what the expectations were for each other. And that it was a conversation best held when less tanked. So I was told to call him on Saturday, and we parted. (And texted more before finally giving in to booze and exhaustion and sleeping.) All in all, a great night.

Saturday ended up dedicated to manual labor, in the form of moving a friend into a new apartment. Hot, sticky, sweaty, and sore. Needless to say I didn't get a phone call made. But I did get a text sent off Sunday morning. Which Verizon decided not to deliver. *grumble* So I called Monday evening, and after several rings J picked up. He was on his way to a poker tournament at Altitudes, and invited me to come. I deferred, as poker's not really my thing. I've played before and can have a lot of fun, but organized, public poker? Not so much. I told him to call me when got done.

And so it was that at 8:30pm on Monday, my phone rang. And I agreed to go out for dinner and a drink at Chili's. As I walked out the door I realized...shit...this might be a date! Am I ready to date? Am I wanting to date? What does he want? What do I want? SHIT SHIT SHIT. I activated a phone tree or two to obtain any info my spies might have about J, just to make sure there wasn't some history of mental illness, dickishness, or a secret boyfriend I didn't know about. Green light on all counts. So there I was, getting into a car, headed for a date (or at least pre-date), with no real notice/planning/preparation. SHIT SHIT SHIT. Inhale, exhale, repeat as needed.

We had a great time at dinner. Talked for an hour and half. Laughed. Found a lot in common. Smiled a lot. And went to the Library for a night cap, as neither of us was quite ready for the night to end. We talked some more, and laughed some more, and found more in common. And had a great night. I'm heading up the mountain tonight to have dinner with Chuck and Jerry, but think I'll have an escort to Jazz Night for tomorrow. And at midnight when this Cinder-fella turned into a pumpkin, there was a good night kiss. A good one. And then another.

As I was in bed ready to fall asleep last night, we texted a bit more. And will be talking more. As I woke up this morning I realized: yup, that was a date. How in the hell did that happen? But I'm glad it did. We'll see where this goes. I'll keep you all posted, though remember: patience is a virtue. I'm not posting his name to 1) protect his privacy and 2) to avoid jinxing something that could become something. Ladies and gentlemen...please hold on to the bar.

Um, what happened to summer?

It's August now. In 25 days I'll be celebrating my 5th annual 29th birthday. My question is: what the hell happened to summer? June disappeared in a flurry of doing everything I could while leaving the old job and racing to get a handle on the new one. Pride rounded out the month, and then it was gone in a blink. July didn't last long either. There was the 4th and Craig's retirement party. Jubilee Days and the Brew Fest. And more work. I've had no camping trips, no BBQ's...I'm not ready for school to start in just over 3 weeks!

In other news...for the last few months Ruby Slippers has served as a shelter and refuge for wayward souls. As a result, I've drafted some "house rules." I recommend everyone do the same, especially if you often have visitors, houseguests, or long-term infestations of friends. Without further ado, I give you:

The Squatter's Guide to Ruby Slippers

1. If you turn it on, turn it off when you're done using it. Especially lights.
2. If you open it, close it. This includes food.
3. If you get it out, put it away.
4. If you spill it, clean it.
5. If you break it, please notify the management.
6. If you use it, replace what you can.
7. Help with groceries, cooking, and cleaning are greatly appreciated. You should at least clean up after yourself. Marti is the headliner, NOT the maid.