A View From The Lake
Thursday, November 25, 2004
I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!
I spent my day serving turkey at the free community Thanksgiving dinner at the DECC. What a positive experience to make up for Tuesday... after my car got broken into, I went to work only to find out that I had taken the day off and didn't have to be there. Then I ended up working an hour and a half anyway while I had to do some union steward stuff involving someone getting terminated. Then Viewcrest told me that they would like me to make sure that I behave better than last year at the Christmas party, because some of my co-workers were uncomfortable with Shiner and I. Uh, excuse me? I was at last year's party for an hour. I didn't drink, and I left shortly after they handed out the awards. I think Shiner gave me a hug when I won an award. They would prefer I don't bring her. I am not sure quite what I'm going to do about this, but you can believe it's going to involve a letter, possibly the Human Rights Commission, and quite possibly some diversity training for Viewcrest... mainly because this is the 5th time my sexuality has come into play there where I have been discriminated against.. It will also be the last. If they can't be non-discriminatory, then they may have to deal with the ramifications of it. I'm that serious.
But today made up for the results of Tuesday. I had a lovely lovely time. I ran my ass off, but it was great! I am so proud of our community, and I met a lot of great people and made some new friends. Then Shiner and I went to Jack & Carolyn's for Thanskgiving dinner. I called some friends and family and we had a great time. :)
¶ 9:52 PM 0 comments
I spent my day serving turkey at the free community Thanksgiving dinner at the DECC. What a positive experience to make up for Tuesday... after my car got broken into, I went to work only to find out that I had taken the day off and didn't have to be there. Then I ended up working an hour and a half anyway while I had to do some union steward stuff involving someone getting terminated. Then Viewcrest told me that they would like me to make sure that I behave better than last year at the Christmas party, because some of my co-workers were uncomfortable with Shiner and I. Uh, excuse me? I was at last year's party for an hour. I didn't drink, and I left shortly after they handed out the awards. I think Shiner gave me a hug when I won an award. They would prefer I don't bring her. I am not sure quite what I'm going to do about this, but you can believe it's going to involve a letter, possibly the Human Rights Commission, and quite possibly some diversity training for Viewcrest... mainly because this is the 5th time my sexuality has come into play there where I have been discriminated against.. It will also be the last. If they can't be non-discriminatory, then they may have to deal with the ramifications of it. I'm that serious.
But today made up for the results of Tuesday. I had a lovely lovely time. I ran my ass off, but it was great! I am so proud of our community, and I met a lot of great people and made some new friends. Then Shiner and I went to Jack & Carolyn's for Thanskgiving dinner. I called some friends and family and we had a great time. :)
¶ 9:52 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Violated. That is how I am feeling right now. I feel very little faith in humanity. Beaten down, beat up. My car was broken into last night and trashed on the inside. The only thing that was stolen was Shiner's cd player, but the fact remains that I now am missing a window, I have no money to replace it, and liability only on the car, and very little support from anyone.
I am a bit shook up... if the people who did this needed something, all they had to do was ask, and I would have helped them. And the police department won't even send out a cop because there's no suspect. So I have a police report on file and instructions to "look around to see if anyone's using the cd player or listen to hear if anyone's bragging about stealing a cd player." I don't hang around in those types of circles and I hardly know anyone in my building, and I'm sure that the folks who did this aren't going to brag around the scene of the crime.
I just want to crawl into a hole and fuck the rest of the world, why should I help them? ¶ 1:52 PM 0 comments
I am a bit shook up... if the people who did this needed something, all they had to do was ask, and I would have helped them. And the police department won't even send out a cop because there's no suspect. So I have a police report on file and instructions to "look around to see if anyone's using the cd player or listen to hear if anyone's bragging about stealing a cd player." I don't hang around in those types of circles and I hardly know anyone in my building, and I'm sure that the folks who did this aren't going to brag around the scene of the crime.
I just want to crawl into a hole and fuck the rest of the world, why should I help them? ¶ 1:52 PM 0 comments
Saturday, November 20, 2004
I am kind of at a loss for words... I know, it doesn't happen often, but today they don't seem to want to flow very well. Last night was one of the best nights I've had in a long time... it all started a week or so ago when I asked Herb to go to the Blue Moon Ball (read: Gay Prom) with me.
I sent him an email and asked if he'd like to go to the Gay Prom with me. He said that he would be honored to go with me. So all week long emails have been flying back and forth, and finally it was all arranged that he would pick me up about 8:30pm. (Not without some mishaps - I thought the ball was on Saturday night, turns out it was Friday night... but he was still able to go, although we had to go later than planned originally...)
The night of the ball was also the night of the Christmas City of the North parade. I parked at the Canal Park Inn (note to Duluthians: Park there in the future - you can zip right onto the highway from there with no problems!) and then walked about 6 blocks to where the City of Duluth float was.
I walked, okay, jogged along with the City of Duluth float and handed out candy to kids - it was a lot of fun, even though it was raining and cold... I did so much running though, I was quite warm by the time we reached the end of the route. Herb and I walked back through the Skywalk and handed out the last of our candy to the kids who were watching from the windows. Herb and I were both drenched, as were the rest of the group that went with the float (and more than likely the entire parade!) Luckily, I got to go home and get ready and dry off, but poor Herb had to go welcome people to Duluth at the DECC, so he didn't even get a chance to really dry off. His shoes were still squishing when he arrived at 8:25pm... it's important to note the time, because he wasn't supposed to get there until 8:30, and he called me at 8:15 asking if I was ready yet. I said that I wasn't quite ready, but that he could come up and sit while I finished getting ready. He asked how long that would be and I said about 10 minutes, so he said he'd stop for a beer. I raised my eyebrows at that, but figured "well, it'll give me some extra time." Hah! 10 minutes later my phone rang. (Good thing I don't take a lot of time to get ready!)
I got in the car (He opened the door for me - chivalry is NOT dead! Yay!) and he presented me with a little stuffed animal in lieu of a corsage. It's a little pink lamb - not sure where it will fit into my decor, but I'll find a place, never fear. We then proceeded over the bridge to the Main Club.
Now, I had only told Shiner who I was bringing to the ball. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but she's sneaky and can get stuff out of me when nobody else can. So I walk in, in my long blue velvet dress and my 2 inch heels, and right behind me is Herb, looking quite dashing in a gray suit and blue shirt and tie. (Yes, we somewhat coordinated our outfits... mainly me asking him what he was going to wear and matching my outfit to his... if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right!) I can tell you that people's jaws dropped. I was heartily amused. I got asked why I asked the Mayor of Duluth to the Gay Prom. My answer was: "Why not? We're friends, he's supportive, and why wouldn't I want to go with him?" His answer, when asked why he was there: "How could I refuse a date with an attractive 27 year old?" lol...
The Main Club looked like the Main Club, only with some decorations up. The food was Cajun, catered by 3rd Rock and was very good. Herb and I got our food, got a table, and socialised with people. We played a little game - he tried to guess who was male or female and I told him whether they were or not. He did pretty well... then we talked about people running for City Council next year. I have yet to tell him that I want to run, but I plan on doing so sometime soon... We ate our spicy food, got some beer, then just visited with people, then went to watch to see if we got on the news for the parade - we didn't.
We were standing in the front of the bar, and people were coming up and taking our picture and talking - I have never had my picture taken that much - it was really fun! One of the highlights of the night was Daryl... I saw Daryl and gave him a hug, and then introduced him to Herb. Daryl, in all seriousness, said "You look familiar, have I seen you somewhere before?" Herb and I looked at each other, looked at Daryl who then remembered where he had seen Herb. I have never seen anyone turn so red - it was absolutely the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!
One of the few downside things was that Cathleen and Shiner were there together, but people kept wanting to take a picture of Shiner and me together. I felt bad for Cathleen and I felt even worse after she shot me a Look, but it wasn't my fault, and I told Shiner that I felt badly. Shiner said not to worry about it. (And she remembered my dress - it was the dress I wore to the Fetish ball where Shiner realised she was attracted to me... I had almost forgotten myself!) They seemed to be having a good time, and then some of Shiner's co-workers from the MIC came in and that was a hoot!
Angela and Kim came together, and Ang looked very nice in a great dress! Keith and Mike were there looking fabulous - Keith in 5 inch heels, although not in drag! Suzy and Sara were there looking fabulous! John and Leon showed up with John wearing a turquoise cowboy hat... and wondering if Jan was Mrs Bergson... lol (For those of you wondering, Jacqui knew Herb and I were going - her comment was that "we could look at the same women together!" lol!) Everyone looked wonderful and I was so proud of everybody - we truly are a beautiful community!
So the night went on, and pretty soon Herb said we had to go, as he had to be at something at 8:30am... (it was after midnight at this point...) as we're getting ready to leave, Herb gets a free beer, so of course we have to stay and drink the beer... (he's a good Wisconsinite - never turn away free beer!) Then we leave, he brings me home, and I haven't stopped smiling yet. What an absolutely lovely evening! There was no drama, there was just having fun and being with people I like and love. One thing I have to improve on, though: I have an irresistible urge to straighten men's ties - I must have done it a thousand times last night to anybody that I knew that was wearing a tie... I've got to stop that- Keith said I was giving him a complex!
Now back to reality... today my legs are killing me. Not a good idea to walk 2 miles and then spend the rest of the night in heels. I feel like a 72 year-old woman, but I don't have much to do today- I cleaned my house yesterday. Today has nothing more challenging than straightening the bathroom closet and playing Playstation. Have a good weekend, everybody!
¶ 11:55 AM 0 comments
I sent him an email and asked if he'd like to go to the Gay Prom with me. He said that he would be honored to go with me. So all week long emails have been flying back and forth, and finally it was all arranged that he would pick me up about 8:30pm. (Not without some mishaps - I thought the ball was on Saturday night, turns out it was Friday night... but he was still able to go, although we had to go later than planned originally...)
The night of the ball was also the night of the Christmas City of the North parade. I parked at the Canal Park Inn (note to Duluthians: Park there in the future - you can zip right onto the highway from there with no problems!) and then walked about 6 blocks to where the City of Duluth float was.
I walked, okay, jogged along with the City of Duluth float and handed out candy to kids - it was a lot of fun, even though it was raining and cold... I did so much running though, I was quite warm by the time we reached the end of the route. Herb and I walked back through the Skywalk and handed out the last of our candy to the kids who were watching from the windows. Herb and I were both drenched, as were the rest of the group that went with the float (and more than likely the entire parade!) Luckily, I got to go home and get ready and dry off, but poor Herb had to go welcome people to Duluth at the DECC, so he didn't even get a chance to really dry off. His shoes were still squishing when he arrived at 8:25pm... it's important to note the time, because he wasn't supposed to get there until 8:30, and he called me at 8:15 asking if I was ready yet. I said that I wasn't quite ready, but that he could come up and sit while I finished getting ready. He asked how long that would be and I said about 10 minutes, so he said he'd stop for a beer. I raised my eyebrows at that, but figured "well, it'll give me some extra time." Hah! 10 minutes later my phone rang. (Good thing I don't take a lot of time to get ready!)
I got in the car (He opened the door for me - chivalry is NOT dead! Yay!) and he presented me with a little stuffed animal in lieu of a corsage. It's a little pink lamb - not sure where it will fit into my decor, but I'll find a place, never fear. We then proceeded over the bridge to the Main Club.
Now, I had only told Shiner who I was bringing to the ball. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but she's sneaky and can get stuff out of me when nobody else can. So I walk in, in my long blue velvet dress and my 2 inch heels, and right behind me is Herb, looking quite dashing in a gray suit and blue shirt and tie. (Yes, we somewhat coordinated our outfits... mainly me asking him what he was going to wear and matching my outfit to his... if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right!) I can tell you that people's jaws dropped. I was heartily amused. I got asked why I asked the Mayor of Duluth to the Gay Prom. My answer was: "Why not? We're friends, he's supportive, and why wouldn't I want to go with him?" His answer, when asked why he was there: "How could I refuse a date with an attractive 27 year old?" lol...
The Main Club looked like the Main Club, only with some decorations up. The food was Cajun, catered by 3rd Rock and was very good. Herb and I got our food, got a table, and socialised with people. We played a little game - he tried to guess who was male or female and I told him whether they were or not. He did pretty well... then we talked about people running for City Council next year. I have yet to tell him that I want to run, but I plan on doing so sometime soon... We ate our spicy food, got some beer, then just visited with people, then went to watch to see if we got on the news for the parade - we didn't.
We were standing in the front of the bar, and people were coming up and taking our picture and talking - I have never had my picture taken that much - it was really fun! One of the highlights of the night was Daryl... I saw Daryl and gave him a hug, and then introduced him to Herb. Daryl, in all seriousness, said "You look familiar, have I seen you somewhere before?" Herb and I looked at each other, looked at Daryl who then remembered where he had seen Herb. I have never seen anyone turn so red - it was absolutely the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!
One of the few downside things was that Cathleen and Shiner were there together, but people kept wanting to take a picture of Shiner and me together. I felt bad for Cathleen and I felt even worse after she shot me a Look, but it wasn't my fault, and I told Shiner that I felt badly. Shiner said not to worry about it. (And she remembered my dress - it was the dress I wore to the Fetish ball where Shiner realised she was attracted to me... I had almost forgotten myself!) They seemed to be having a good time, and then some of Shiner's co-workers from the MIC came in and that was a hoot!
Angela and Kim came together, and Ang looked very nice in a great dress! Keith and Mike were there looking fabulous - Keith in 5 inch heels, although not in drag! Suzy and Sara were there looking fabulous! John and Leon showed up with John wearing a turquoise cowboy hat... and wondering if Jan was Mrs Bergson... lol (For those of you wondering, Jacqui knew Herb and I were going - her comment was that "we could look at the same women together!" lol!) Everyone looked wonderful and I was so proud of everybody - we truly are a beautiful community!
So the night went on, and pretty soon Herb said we had to go, as he had to be at something at 8:30am... (it was after midnight at this point...) as we're getting ready to leave, Herb gets a free beer, so of course we have to stay and drink the beer... (he's a good Wisconsinite - never turn away free beer!) Then we leave, he brings me home, and I haven't stopped smiling yet. What an absolutely lovely evening! There was no drama, there was just having fun and being with people I like and love. One thing I have to improve on, though: I have an irresistible urge to straighten men's ties - I must have done it a thousand times last night to anybody that I knew that was wearing a tie... I've got to stop that- Keith said I was giving him a complex!
Now back to reality... today my legs are killing me. Not a good idea to walk 2 miles and then spend the rest of the night in heels. I feel like a 72 year-old woman, but I don't have much to do today- I cleaned my house yesterday. Today has nothing more challenging than straightening the bathroom closet and playing Playstation. Have a good weekend, everybody!
¶ 11:55 AM 0 comments
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Don't write a letter
when you want to leave
Don't call me at 3 a.m.
from a friend's apartment
I'd like to choose how I hear the news
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Let me down easy, no big song and dance
no long faces, no long looks
no deep conversation
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Don't want to know who's to blame
It won't help knowing
Don't want to fight day and night
bad enough you're going
Don't leave in silence
with no word at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
That's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze
Tell me on a Sunday please
-Tell Me On A Sunday, Andrew Lloyd Webber
¶ 11:51 AM 0 comments
when you want to leave
Don't call me at 3 a.m.
from a friend's apartment
I'd like to choose how I hear the news
Take me to a park that's covered with trees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Let me down easy, no big song and dance
no long faces, no long looks
no deep conversation
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Take me to a zoo that's got chimpanzees
Tell me on a Sunday please
Don't want to know who's to blame
It won't help knowing
Don't want to fight day and night
bad enough you're going
Don't leave in silence
with no word at all
Don't get drunk and slam the door
That's no way to end this
I know how I want you to say goodbye
Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze
Tell me on a Sunday please
-Tell Me On A Sunday, Andrew Lloyd Webber
¶ 11:51 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
