I was working on researching a great post and now it is 12:06AM. I missed the damned deadline. Dawn fell asleep on the couch woke up to go pee and then went to bed without posting so we are out of NaBloPoMo. I guess it is good 'cause we don't have to go hide behind the gym when the Aunt gets here for Thanksgiving. See she doesn't know we blog and we don't want her to. If you are a reader of Dawn's you will remember this from last year while we were at her house. I will still post the great post tomorrow but since I am late tonight I am not making an promises from here on out.
So tired today, haven't been able to sleep for a couple of nights. Still away from home and not sure what to write. Dawn is booting me as it is time for a mini- thanksgiving dinner.
I am cheating tonight I am away from home and so I am giving you my absolute favorite brain worm video. WARNING: you may not want to listen with children in the room. It is an adult themed song and you are going to find yourself humming it in the aisles of your local grocery store.
Introducing a new aspect to my blog to help after NaBloPoMo ends I will hopefilly post once a week from now on...
And...here we go!
1. The last band I saw live was __The Indigo Girls__.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is _sandwiches_.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is __not happening___.
4. Thoughts of __bills___ fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear __snow pants__.
6. Bagpipes __are awesome_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _(intentionally left blank)____, tomorrow my plans include _travel_ and Sunday, I want to _EAT_(mini Thanksgiving)__!
so since I have been unemployed and unemployable a lot of people have asked me "What do you WANT to do?" I am a few months shy of 33 and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow-up. A few years ago I wanted to be a architectural model architect. Remember there was one of those prostate ads there was this HUGE coffee cup in a tiny city? The guy with the "growing problem" worked shrinking things. I wanted to do that, scenes for movies, and integrity models, you know building a skyscraper scale model to see how it holds up in a wind tunnel. Now I am not sure. I mean I have no idea what would make me happy. I would love to do something helping people as I am great in that capacity but I have no idea what exactly. I participated in a teleconference last night called "For Love & Money" it was very cool. There was a visualization piece where she took us to visit ourselves in our home 20 years from now. I could see a nice house and my grey haired self answer the door. I seemed happy but I had no idea how I got there. I just could not see what got me that house. I don't seem to have a fire at all. Hmmph oh well have an ancient video of a young (16) and still very black Boy Jackson and Roberta Flack.
So remember on the meme thing where I got tagged I said that all I want for the holidays is a Wii Fit?? Well I wrote to Santa and sent her a link to a pre-black Friday sale and used all of the best reasoning and of the hot words I could come up with. Well today I opened my email and there in my inbox was a return letter from Santa and we are getting a Wii for the holidays.
Not just the Wii but we are getting; the Nintendo Wii console with Wii Sports, Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit Plus, and $25 eGift Card - Value Bundle! We will use the gift card towards the balance of a second Wiimote and nunchuk as the console only comes with one of each.
The most amazing thing about this?? That Ms. Grumpypants (aka Dawn) wants it too! We have never owned a video game console in the nearly 8 years we have been together she has hated them. But she has played golf on the Wii of some friends and I think that is what sold her. Plus all of our friends who have the Fit swear that they feel better and are having fun getting in shape and loosing weight with it. I know that after just a couple of hours of playing the sports my arms hurt for a couple of days after, so I do believe that this will be a life changing gift.
Here is to a New Years Resolution we MIGHT be able to keep. Happier, Healthier more active us.
I am a self avowed weather geek. Astrology plays a good part in meteorology in my mind and so when I saw Leonid Meteor Shower 2009Biggest Meteor Shower of the Modern Age show up on my Facebook I was stoked! We caught the Perseids back in August and they were awesome.
I don't know maybe it was better because we were outside in shorts and t-shirts and with good company. Now it is November in Maine the mercury is below the freezing mark and there is a frost on the grass and the cars. Now I am a Mainer born and raised I can't yet trace back all the generations but we are tried and true, but I hate the cold. So I didn't want to stay out there as long.
Well take a look at this link I found on the Facebook page of the Leonids; Geminids Meteor Shower 2009 Biggest Meteor Shower of the Modern Age (huh??? sounds familiar doesn't it??) here is what else it says about this show;
The Geminids are now considered by many astronomers to be the most consistent and active annual shower. The Geminids are known for producing up to 60 different colored meteors per hour during their peak. The peak of the shower is on December 13th and 14th.
Geminid Meteor Shower for the best view, One should face east and look between one half to one third of the way up in the sky.
The best time is to watch is generally 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. on the peak days.
Let's see if Santa can help with these ones, and that they are worth freezing my butt off for.
So my blog is nearly 1½ years old and I have yet to be tagged for ANYTHING I am sooo excited that Jen is helping me out with this NaBloPoMo thing by tagging me and essentially giving me a gimme for today!!! Thanks Jen!
So here it is;
Rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. 2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself. 3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. 4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
here we go seven random or weird thing about moi;
1. I am ambidextrous and dyslexic which I am convinced are the reasons I can not type well or play a guitar.
2. I am the eldest of three children but yet the shortest at only 5'1"(on a good day)
3. I only got my drivers license just a few weeks before my 21st birthday and in the 11 years since I have never gotten a ticket (knocking on my desk here)
4. I have known I was "different" (read not straight) since about the age of 3
5. I have not completed college in fact I only have 1 year complete and I probably never will go back
6. All I want for Christmas/Solstice is a Wii Fit
7. I live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Acadia is amazing but I hate it here.
Now to tag 7 people well lets see this isn't completely random because they are all on my blogroll but here it is;
Today I asked for monetary donations on Facebook. There were a bunch of motivating factors, one we both need new thermostats for our vehicles. While it was in the 60°s today and is in fact still 54° at nearly midnight it is November in Maine and it is going to get cold sooner rather than later.
Dawn's isn't that big of a deal as she drives a big old Ford F150 and can probably do it herself in the driveway and it is a $20 part. My thermostat is only about $15 dollars but it is in a very tricky place that our mechanic says will take at LEAST an hour to do. I also would like to fill the oil tank, so we don't have to think about it for a little while. I got notification that Unemployment overpaid me and now I owe them $262 dollars. Last but not least I want to move. I feel that we are sort of marooning ourselves living on this island. Like today I asked Dawn was it that we wanted to sleep in this morning that we didn't go to church or was it that we didn't want to drive 30+ miles one way? I feel that is our excuse most of the time everything is too far away.
It is also time fro me to try to look for work again. No I am not any better physically, emotionally I am a little better but we can't afford for me not to try. And I have to go off island to find work so it is time to give up our little cottage.
I signed up for this thing and now I am not so sure. I might throw in the towel early I know there are others who haven't made it this long but still. I have had some pretty lame-assed posts just to say I posted something today.
Right now I got nothing, my head is foggy with lots of numbers and town names swimming around as Dawn has me compiling data from 6 elections between 1995 and a week and a half ago that dealt with our civil rights as lesbians. I have tried to forget the one in 2000 where my partner at the time and I were talking to our neighbor and our landlord on the eve of the election and how we hoped that since we lived there they would support us and vote Yes on Question 6, which read;
Do you favor ratifying the action of the 119th Legislature whereby it passed an act extending to all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation the same basic rights to protection against discrimination now guaranteed to citizens on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodation and credit and where the act expressly states that nothing in the act confers legislative approval of, or special rights to, any person or group of persons?
They said, but I thought it was already the law and we explained this was to ratify and put the law into effect. The nodded said okay and we all went our ways into our apartments. Well the next morning we got up, went and cast our ballots then went to work. While working we had been asking customers how things were going with results and knew we had lost before the end of the shift. We arrived home after closing the restaurant fairly late and found an eviction notice on our door. This was 2000 and we were legally thrown out of our home for being gay and for trying to educate our landlord. We had no place to go, we ended up breaking up. I moved in with some friends and she moved back to Kentucky.
The next election was not until 2005 when we again voted on basic civil protections. Question 1 read;
Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?
Miracle of miracles THIS was our year the No vote prevailed and we were a step closer to being, full class human beings. Just 10 days ago we were reminded again that 53% of the voters who cast ballots in this off year election don't quite think we are there yet.
You might have noticed the new banner over there to the left or you might not have but I would like to draw your attention there now. This is the Charter for Compassion it was a wish of last years TED prize winner Karen Armstrong, yesterday after a year of planning and compiling of stories it was unveiled to the world!
"The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.
It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community."
Please support and affirm the Charter by adding your name to the growing list of affirmers by visiting the website.
Now I don't consider myself a religious person, but I do try to live ethically and I am spiritual. Above all though I believe in the Golden Rule, especially in light of the recent election. Treat others as you, yourself want to be treated. Why is that so hard for some to grasp. Won't you join me in this amazing call for compassion?
Sorry all, but it has been in my head all day and now it is your turn;
Check out how he is ROCKING that mesh sweater!! OMG did we really think those were cool? And the dumbbells WOW! The sad thing is this song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989.
Here I will even included the lyrics for you.
Cash cold that's what I need These bill collectors they ring my phone They bother me when I'm not at home Ain't go no time to be fooling round Feet touch the floors and I get on down, you see
Chorus: I want money lots and lots of money I want the pie in the sky I want money lots and lots of money So don't be asking me why
I wanna be rich oh I wanna be rich I wanna be rich oh I wanna be rich
For a little love peace and happiness
I want my cake wanna eat it too I want the stars and the silver moon I spend my money of lottery My favorite number is 1 2 3, you see
Chorus
Every way rich Love peace and happiness I want all the things that lovers do A pocketful of dreams come true Everything you can not find Want you by my side?
That keep you satisfied and rich Here is what you gonna do Say oh I say uh uh Got to be baby I just wanna be rich I just wanna be, just wanna be Cause baby
Chorus
Be rich I wanna be rich I know what I mean baby Everyday and every way Play baby there is lots for everyone
First I would like to thank both of you that now read my blog for the kind thoughts and well wishes, for her recovery and my sanity. She called last night and was up and walking during the day. Sitting in a chair and eating normally. The doctor who preformed her hysterectomy told heron the Friday that she saw her in the ICU she didn't have much hope of her making it. She then said that she was very proud of her and called her a trooper.
Mom asked if she was going to be able to leave at some point and the Dr. asked her well when do you think you will be ready to go home? Mom answered let's shoot for the end of the week see how things are at that point and then decide.
So she could be back at home by this weekend. She need to have a ramp built on their trailer and the home health care needs to be approved but the hospital social workers see no issue with that. So we will see.
Now the question becomes what do I do now? See I have been trying to distance myself from her for a few years now. I don't need the stress in my life that she inflicts with her emotional abuse. Hello she has never in my lifetime weighed less then 320 pounds, (though some of it is not her fault a diet of Mtn. Dew and Ring Dings don't help) she is always commenting not just on my size but plain out talks about how FAT I am! No I am not small, I NEVER have been there are NO small women in our gene-pool. But jeez the way the pot calls the kettle is absolutely asinine. She may have FINALLY come to terms that my being a big old dyke is NOT a phase after just 17 years! However she hates Dawn nearly as much as Dawn hates her. Her newly ex-husband and I can't stand each other, but he isn't going anywhere they did it for the money(don't ask, that is another post entirely).
So what do I do, now that she has had her brush with death and all of us were there she is going to want us all back in her life all of the time, and I am afraid.
Two days ago Dawn wrote about how grateful she was to have me. Today I am not sure that she is as grateful. I was pretty sure this morning that if I went to Fail Blog that there would be a picture of me in my tie-dyed flannel pajamas with EPIC FAIL stamped across my forehead.
To start things off I awoke at 5dark:thirty with a migraine. I got up took some meds, put my sleep mask/blindfold thing on to ward of the increasing daylight, and crawled back in bed. Dawn awoke a few hours later and got up I knew she had planned some quiet reflection time this morning so I figured it was safe for me to stay in bed so I did. When I did crawl out of bed at around 9 she was ready to begin her day. She asked if I had done something yesterday and I had not. When she asked why I told her that 1. I had asked her to do it and 2. the deadline was yesterday and by the time I had a chance to do it I would not have had a chance to turn it in.
Well, I am not even sure what happened after that but I know she was PISSED. She said I've got to go, stomped out of the house slamming the door without a kiss or anything. Then she peeled out backing out of her spot, peeled it again pulling forward from where she had backed and a THIRD time when she hit the gas to leave the the driveway. I was crying before the door slammed, I felt worse then shit.
So I look and a friend is on so I chat with her here is how that started;
10:58 AM me: hey
L: hey what's up?
10:59 AM me: I suck
L: oh dear.
11:00 AM me: I think I need to leave Dawn that she would be better off without me, she just peeled out of the yard
I don't know what to do
11:01 AM L: um.
me: I keep fucking up
R: sounds like you're frustrated and depressed.
me: she is soo mad at me
11:02 AM we have been fighting for two days every minute that we are together is spent screaming
L: gah!
what's going on?
L talked me off the ledge, I didn't pack my shit. I continued to sort through the bs with L until Dawn came home then I didn't want another reason for her to be upset so I got offline. During the chat I call the place and they say that it wasn't a deadline more a GUIDEline and that I have until just before thanksgiving to get it in.
By 1PM we were both leaving the house to run errands we had not screamed at each other and she apologized for losing her temper like that and being a grumpus head in general. I apologized that I had not done the thing that started it all this morning but that I really needed her help with it or I wouldn't have asked. We went our separate ways to do our separate tasks.
As I was coming home I nearly hit a big buck with a bum back leg. He was next door and came into our yard once he got out of my way. I saw him walk across the back yard, I ran to get a flashlight as I could no longer see him in the thicket. I went back out and could hear him but we couldn't find him, even with a cop and the landlord. Oh well we have some venison in the freezer already a friend's dad got his deer and she gave us some of the meat he had given her.
Tonight things are back to normal. I did the task I didn't think I could do, all by myself. I also did a couple loads of laundry and of dishes. All in all I am still not sure why she loves me so.
Okay so this blogging everyday is really a difficult task. I just am not as witty as I need to be to do this apparently. So I am going to give you a picture of one of my favorite spots. This is a tiny brook that runs under the Acadia National Park Loop Road. I sit on that little gravelly beach on the far side and cast my line. I cast to my left (the right side of the photo) and let it slowly float downstream and under the bridge. I am merely two feet away from the road with its cars, trucks and RV's from Connecticut, New York and Minnesota.
However none of them know that I am there. I am alone in my only little world, it is just one of the many wonders here in my backyard. Come visit us sometime.
1. What is the color of your toothbrush? Purple & White
2. Name one person who made you smile today. My sweetheart
3. What were you doing at 8am this morning? sleeping/warding off a migraine (success!)
4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? watching Monday Night Football and eating homemade sushi with my sweetie
5. What is your favorite candy bar? 100 Grand
6. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes the LGBT bar I was a bouncer at was next door to one and our DJ was engaged to one of the ladies and I would go over and watch her dance then walk her to the bar after her performance.
7. What is the last thing you said aloud? Hey look at what I found on Daily Meme!
8. What is your favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerry's Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz which is sadly only available in Scoop Shops and the closest one of those to us is 100 miles away :(
9. What was the last thing you had to drink? tap water fresh from our well
10. Do you like your wallet? not really but it is functional
11. What was the last thing you ate? homemade sushi!
12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? nope can't tell you the last time I bought new clothing
13. The last sporting event you watched? I am sort-of watching MNF over my shoulder
14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?Act IImovie theater butter
15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?: my plan doesn't have texting
16. Ever go camping? ever?? Yes recently?? No been since July of '06
17. Do you take vitamins daily? No
18. Do you go to church every Sunday? No
19. Do you have a tan? still a bit of a farmer tan but that isn't saying much
20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? I have Chinese more often but like pizza better
21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? Only if it is served in a paper cup
22. What did your last text message say? see #15 above
23. What are you doing tomorrow? installing a deer fence (to keep deer from eating the woman's plants), a bit of household shopping
24. Favorite color? Blue or purple
25. Look to your left; what do you see? the cat taking a bath
26. What color is your watch? I haven't worn it in a couple weeks, maybe black?
27. What do you think of when you hear “Australia”? of a cute surfer girl I know...
28. Would you strip for money? doubt it
29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Usually in so I can use the restroom too.
30. What is your favorite number? Not sure I have one
31. Who’s the last person you talked to on the phone? Toby
32. Any plans today? Today??? It is 11:39PM I MIGHT make it to bed before tomorrow.
33. In how many states have you lived? Two
34. Biggest annoyance right now? having lost my right to marry in my home state.
35. Last song listened to? does the MNF theme count? Probably not, so it was With a Little Help From My Friends
36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? yes in about 3 seconds
37. Do you have a maid service clean your house? Um, I WISH!!
38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Reebok sneakers (the same ones the NFL refs wear) very comfy :)
39. Are you jealous of anyone? not at the moment
40. Is anyone jealous of you? who cares
41. Do you love anyone? but of course
42. Do any of your friends have children? Many of them do, yes
43. What do you usually do during the day? FACEBOOK!!!
44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Not anyone I have ever met (Sarah, Ann, & Rush come to mind though)
45. Do you use the word hello daily? I don't think I do I am a "Hey" person
46. What color is your car? Red
47. What size wedding ring do you wear? I am not allowed to marry so I don't have a wedding ring, my commitment/promise band is a 9 I think.
48. Are you thinking about someone right now? Not really
49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Nope
50. How did you get your worst scar? surgery, to remove a cyst on my left wrist I don't scar easily so incidental ones have gone away.
Have you all written, emailed and called your senators and congresspersons asking them to support Health Care Reform??? If you haven't now is the time and make sure you let them know how you feel about the anti-choice Stupak amendment here is the CNN link.
If you happen to be one of the few lucky people in this country with a good health care plan congratulations! I am a person who hasn't had ANY health care plan in nearly a year and no way to pay for it because my health won't let me work. Not that I could ever get insurance at this point because my list of pre-existing conditions start with being a woman and go down-hill from there; depressed - check, asthmatic - check, rape survivor- check, morbid obesity - check, ex-smoker - check, suicidal tendencies - check, spondylitis - check, at least I haven't been able to afford therapy so that won't count against me.
If you have insurance that works great, but do me a favor and think about those of us that are lest fortunate.
Almost forgot to post today not sure if I am gonna make it for this whole month thing. I am determined to try which means if we travel at all this month Dawn needs to share her laptop so I can post on the days I don't have access to my desktop.
In other news talked to mom yesterday she is still in the hospital but sounds much better and says she feels much better. Apparently there was some issue that happened and she ended up with a sore back (not really sure what happened) but between that and the fact that she had a 36 pound growth hanging from her abdomen past her knees she has basically been immobile for a fairly long time they want to put her into a rehab center. I am hoping that they can put her in one somewhere around her so that the family can go see her.
I am a stiff and sore woman tonight Dawn and I spent about 8 hours cleaning out a basement. We did about 4 hour shifts for the past two days but it was nearly too much for me. We shall see how I am feeling when I wake up as that is usually the worst time for me.
Tonight I seem not to have words so I give you this beautiful slide show instead;
This video would not have been possible without photograher Jo Moser (check her out at: www.gaylifephotography.com), filmmaker Phyllis Famiglietti, and the many families in Maine who participated in this project. Please do your part to support marriage for ALL Maine families. Visit EqualityMaine.org
It is now noon the day after one of the most important election days of my young life. We had the highest voter turn out of an off year election ever! 60% of registered voters voted. And I am somber and mournful that in the year 2009 the rights of the minority are still being undone by the votes of the majority. Right now with 96% of precincts reporting it is 297096(52.77%) want to reject the law that allows same-sex couples to marry and 265940(47.23%) want to keep the law. That is a difference of 31156 votes or 5.54% of the folks that voted have decided that this maybe one of these would be an appropriate license plate for me now; So what do you all think?? Which shall I go with? UNEQUAL, LESS HUMAN, or 2ND CLASS? I think they all make wonderful statements, however they are just temporary classifications as love wins in the end, love didn't win this time so it is not the end we will continue to fight and we will be legally married here in Maine.
Here it is Election Day '09! Maine has 7 issues on the state ballot; Question 1: People's Veto An Act To End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to preform these marriages?" I voted NO! To provide equality under the law for all Maine families and so I can marry Dawn
Question 2: Citizen Initiative An Act to Decrease the Automobile Excise Tax and Promote Energy “Do you want to cut the rate of the municipal excise tax by an average of 55% on motor vehicles less than six years old and exempt hybrid and other alternative-energy and highly fuel-efficient motor vehicles from sales tax and three years of excise tax?” I voted NO! Why should I be punished because I can't afford a new car and excise tax repairs and maintains roads and bridges, INCLUDING plowing and sanding.
Question 3: Citizen Initiative
An Act to Repeal the School District Consolidation Laws “Do you want to repeal the 2007 law on school district consolidation and restore the laws previously in effect?” I voted NO! School consolidation is a great thing for Maine's children, and reversing it will cost too much and hurt too many.
Question 4: Citizen Initiative
An Act to Provide Tax Relief “Do you want to change the existing formulas that limit state and local government spending and require voter approval by referendum for spending over those limits and for increases in state taxes?” I voted NO! TABOR is bad if you have any doubts just ask Jen
Question 5: Citizen Initiative
An Act to Establish the Maine Medical Marijuana Act “Do you want to change the medical marijuana laws to allow treatment of more medical conditions and to create a regulated system of distribution?” I voted YES! Medical marijuana has been legal for years now but there has not been a legal way to buy it if you don't want to grow your own.
Question 6: Bond Issue
“Do you favor a $71,250,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges, airports, public transit facilities, ferry and port facilities, including port and harbor structures, as well as funds for the LifeFlight Foundation that will make the State eligible for over $148,000,000 in federal and other matching funds?” It is a bond issue, I ALWAYS vote YES! for bond issues they mean jobs and infrastructure maintenance.
Question 7: Constitutional Amendment
"Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to increase the amount of time that local officials have to certify the signatures on direct initiative petitions?” I voted YES! With all their other work they just don't have enough time to make sure that the signatures are valid.
We are heading out to campaign headquarters now please keep your fingers crossed that by the time we get home we will be legitimately engaged! If you want to know what is happening head over to Dawn's blog for a list of links. Or for just question 1 follow on Twitter #VoteNoOn1
First I must say how grateful I am that election day happens but once a year I am not sure I could handle all of this more often. Last year it was all about Obama and while I bought the t-shirt and CD and I had bumper stickers and buttons. I only spent part of one day working on his campaign.
I spent a few months working a fair amount of hours on the campaign of a dear friend who was running for the local State Representative seat and once we got all of her constituents taken care of I started calling the mid-west to get out the vote for Obama.
This year it is the battle here in Maine to protect the new law passed though our State Legislature and signed by Governor John Baldacci that would allow me and my beloved to get married here at home and have it be legal. I have spent countless hours working on this campaign starting back in April when we had the public hearing before the Judiciary Committee the like 13 hour long public hearing. With about 4000 attendees 3000 of which supported the bill at hand LD 1020, An Act To End Discrimination In Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom.
The polls close in just about 24 hours. I had wanted work as much as possible in the last 96 hours but after this past week I just am not able to. I am mentally and physically toast at this point so much so it has taken me well over an hour to write this little bit, I am done.
Some background, I am the eldest of three children. I am the queer radical outcast, next is the younger brother with the wife and grand kids, then the baby girl (who is fast approaching 30), with some emotional and physical health issues. My brother lives next door to our mother and interacts with her on a nearly daily basis. I live 40+/- miles away and only have the occasional telephone conversation. My sister lives across town from mom and earlier this year cut ties with mom for her own sanity.
About two months ago mom was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. She was referred to a surgeon in the largest hospital in Maine about 3 hours away from our home for her safety. She is a morbidly obese woman who also has a lymphodema growth on her abdomen. They are convinced that they need to have her in the hospital best equipped to handle any issues that may arise. Mom meets with the OB/GYN who is concerned about the lymphodema growth being in the way to do the hysterectomy, so she consults with another surgeon who meets with mom and agrees to remove the growth and some of the fatty tissue around it, at the same time(well slightly before) the hysterectomy. She had the surgeries on Tuesday and all went well. She was in recovery and doing fairly well until late Thursday night early Friday morning when she became unresponsive. Something had caused her kidneys to fail. At o'dark thirty (or 6AM) I got awoken by a phone call from my brother. He had been down with her during the surgery and had come home and was working an over-night when he got a call from our newly ex-step-dad telling him that mom had been transferred from the recovery ward to ICU and things were not looking good. So I wake-up in a hurry call my sister and tell her that things are bad and that my partner and I are coming to get her no arguing she was going. The three of us hurry down the interstate and get to the hospital by 11am. We go in and she is barely responsive and pretty incoherent when she does try to respond. The doctors have decided that dialysis is the best step to take and since mom is out of it they need someone else to give consent. She is newly divorced (don't ask, that is another post entirely) while he (Joe) is right there, he has no legal authority to sign the paperwork that is up to me as her eldest and therefore next-of-kin. So I sign and we wait. Meanwhile my brother and sister-in-law show-up at the hospital and there are now 6 of us in the waiting room doing exactly that, waiting, and waiting and waiting some more. A little uncomfortably as none of us are all too close to Joe who is looking much like one of the Gieco cavemen and snoring loudly. Then the cavalry shows up oh hell. My mom's mother, step-father, half-sister and her loser boyfriend. The hillbillies have come to Beverly. No this is not much of a stretch between the four of them there may be a full set of teeth and one high school diploma earned through special ed. All of them prone to lots of drama and hysterics based in some other reality. I am NOT in a space to deal with them. They are not happy with my sister and her cutting mom out of her life and they hate my partner. So now the 10 of us sitting in close proximity trying not to look at or talk to each other. We spend the entire afternoon like this interspersed with visits to mom's bedside. Eventually we all end up heading to various hotels and couches around the city. We arrive at the hospital on Saturday after my brother and sister-in-law and mom had been asking for us. We go to see her but they are preparing to change her linens and we are allowed about 30 seconds. This is all ANY of us other then Joe get to see of her after this. The grandparents accuse me of not signing for a procedure but a thing that doesn't allow them to see her. WHATEVER! They get pissy and leave and head home. The rest of us head out to the places we are crashing for the night. Today is Sunday, we arrive this morning and mom is not looking much better but they say she is doing better. As the day progresses we see that this is true she is awake and talking and making a lot of noise like mom does. My partner and I go in and talk to the resident on duty Doogie Howser, M.D. says that she is off all medications and her kidneys are on the mend and starting to function again. Brother and sister-in-law headed home to their children and jobs. We are here for one more night and we will check-in at the hospital in the morning. Have lunch with a friend and then head home. Where we will drop my sister off at her house and my partner nay fiancee will throw ourselves head-long back into the final hours of the campaign that we have been working day-in and day out since March. We want to get married, to stop being second class citizens in our state, so we will be making phone calls and knocking on doors and data entry for 24 hrs and hopefully at the end of it all the people of Maine will vote for equality and fairness and we can get married.
