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joshuwain
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A Geek's Eye  Okay, I've got the front garden transplanted. This is despite the thunder and lightning out there. I simply know I'm not going to have much time going forward, this week, and I simply must get these plants into the ground. Also, what better time than during a rainstorm? Well, there are probably better times, yes. But I got as soaked as I intend to get, today, before going to the Furry Picnic. Yeah: picnic in the rain. Typical for Minnesota. But fun! So, the front garden has tomatillos (and their tomato cage) in a wooden barrel placed in the sunny front corner of the yard by the fence and sidewalk. It also has nearly all my basil, my curry, the sage, the thyme, the flat-leaf parlsey, and the rosemary in the lamppost planter. My only hesitation with using the lamppost planter is that some of the bricks fell away last week while I was levering grass out of it (those roots can be nasty!). But it's been too cold and/or wet for me to patch the bricks with cement. But the plants couldn't wait. My hope is that I'll be able to fix the bricks in the coming weeks while the plants in the planter continue to grow. Tomorrow, unless I get totally rained out, I'll transplant the tomatoes, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and melon seeds next to the already-planted bean seeds and ramps (coming back from last year). Those will all be in the back garden. I'm looking forward to a great crop this year! Now: if only my black thumb won't kill 'em all... Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood:  accomplished.
The Minnesota State Senate voted 37 - yay / 30 - nay and Governor Mark Dayton will sign it into law, tomorrow. Marriage Equality is REAL! After fighting both on the front lines (and on the back-burner) I can finally sit back and breathe a wonderful, satisfied sigh of relief. I can only say thank you to those states who came before and my best hopes and dreams to those who come after us. Minnesota is Number Twelve and the first Midwestern State to accomplish Marriage Equality via legislation. It's a very happy day around these parts.  Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood: accomplished.
So, this weekend is the big, annual plant sale put on by the Friends School of Minnesota. They're a private school who funds a large amount of their curriculum by selling seedlings every spring over Mother's Day weekend. I've been going to their sale for many years. This year, I took Friday off work to purchase a ton of plants. It's still too cold, here, to put them into the ground (stupid, Smarch weather) but I have them under a grow-light in the kitchen. I'll probably be able to transplant them next weekend. Lookin' forward to it. This is what I'm growing this year:
 Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood: accomplished.
It passed. It passed the Minnesota State House. Now the Marriage Equality bill goes on to the Minnesota Senate where it's expected to pass even more easily. Then the legislation goes to our Governor, Mark Dayton, where he's promised to sign it. It's so funny, though: I've been fighting for this for so long I don't know what to do. (Well, tonight I know: I'm going out with friends to buy a big steak.) But when I was younger, I sort of assumed I would get married: that's what adults did. But in my young college days, I never found a woman I really felt "right" with. I met a couple, but something was wrong ... something was amiss. Eventually, I called myself "bi" and, honestly, I probably still am. I just haven't been attracted to any women in a long, long time. So, for all practical purposes, I'm gay. And as a gay man, I fought for the right to marry ever since the late 90s. I haven't always fought like the best of the activists. I got very tired of carrying signs (although I did that) and writing essays (did that, too). I donated money, signed petitions, talked to my relatives, talked to co-workers, talked to strangers, wrote letters, and even worked as a reporter for a GLBT newspaper. But I still didn't do as much as many. This was because, as time went on, I felt like I was fighting a losing battle. I felt like it would never come to pass. And so, as time went on, my hopes and dreams of the inevitability of getting married, faded. I stopped looking at it as something I had to do and started asking myself (about two or three years ago, now) if it was something I really wanted to do. I'm still not sure. The time delay in getting from there to here allowed me to get all turned around and question myself. Am I really suited for marriage? Can anyone really be "Mr. Right" for the rest of my life? Can I really be a "Mr. Right" for anyone else for the rest of their life? I honestly don't know. That's what this legislation means: suddenly, I'm free. To quote the NASA ants in "the Simpsons", "Freedom! Horrible, horrible freedom!" Once this passes the Minnesota Senate, once this passes the Governor's desk, everything changes. And, honestly, I hadn't expected it. As much as I had worked for this, I didn't really expect it ... not down deep in my heart-of-hearts. I can already feel it: a shift in my view of the world. My expectations are changing and it's frightening. But it's a good kind of "frightening". This is a good day. And, now: steak. Yours, Sylvan Scott Current mood:  excited.
This is what #equality looks like: it looks like Minnesota, today. #MNUnited #MNLeg #Time4Marriage #GLBT #LGBT Yay: 75 Nay: 59  Next: the MN Senate! There, it is expected to pass and our Governor, Mark Dayton, has promised to sign any such legislation! The only downside to this is now I'm going to have to start hearing from my Aunts, "Oh, when are you going to get married?" Nice problem to have... Yours, Sylvan (Dave) PS - Anyone wanna get hitched? Current mood:  jubilant.
British citizens, I am fairly certain, can ask the same question as Americans: "What is my version of the American Dream?" The French and Italians, too. Probably the Russians, these days, or any human being on Planet Earth. Instead of "American", however, they would insert the nation or philosophy of their choice. Or, perhaps, it's time to retire the phrase "American Dream" and, instead, just say, "What is my Dream"? It varies from place to place and time to time. "The Great Gatsby" is a condemnation of the classic observation of the American Dream of excess and hedonistic fulfillment during the Roaring Twenties. But what is the Great Dream, nowadays? I can't speak for anyone but myself but I keep seeing conspicuous consumption everywhere in the fantasies on TV and in books. Security of life, as embodied by spouses and money, is everywhere, too. Let's not forget "Being Your Own Boss" or "Having An Assured Job": both of those are interpretations on the theme of "Security". And, when you boil it down, that last one is what most appeals to me. I want a life free of unnecessary worry. The key word in that phrase is "unnecessary". Whether or not I have a job, what I feel my Dream has become is having all my basic needs and likes met. Excessive sex, food, clothes, and those things which most people (including myself) fantasize about, are -at their core- not as fulfilling to me as being able to live my life in a reasonable environment without fear of losing it. So, yes: I want a home and a means of transportation. I want the freedom to express myself freely, accepting the repercussions of that freedom. I want to experience new things in travel, food, entertainment, writing, art ... I want to move around and see what's out there. Most of all, though, I want friendship. Closeness is crucial to me. I want to be around people who make me feel good and who, in return, I make feel good. Please note I did not say "without arguments or disagreements". Nor did I say "and we'd all live happily ever after". I value friendship, close companionship, more than almost anything else. Even without food or a home, friendship would be the one thing I want more than anything. But let's not get caught up on false choices, here: my Dream doesn't demand that I sacrifice one for the other. To suggest such is the automatic gain-saying of those who seem to want nothing more than raise arguments for their own sake. In my Dream, I can own a home with enough space for many guests. I do not need or want a jet. No fancy car would be in my garage. I would have space to grow vegetables and fruits along with places to explore the art and games I love. I would be free to travel, unconstrained by money, and able to create to my heart's content. I don't need or want copious expanses of property. I don't want power over my fellow human beings. Is this a good Dream? I don't know. But when I think about it, when I see stories in which the Dream is massive amounts of power and influence, I shudder. I want control over my own life but within the framework of society and friendship. No, I don't want to live in some "Libertarian Paradise". Regulations are just fine by me; they are used as the foundation of societies. So that's where I'm coming from. My Dream is, I think, modest by comparison to some of what I've seen in the world these days. I don't know if that makes my Dream good or bad, informed or naive. But writing it all down, I do see that it says something about me. It says something about my values. And that's true of everyone's Dreams. What are your values? What is your Dream? Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood:  contemplative.
I originally wrote these thoughts upon returning home, last Thursday, from seeing Iron Man 3. It was an okay film. Below the cut, I explain why. Here there be spoilers!!! ( Iron Man 3 SpoilersCollapse ) Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood:  disappointed.
Being sick does things to a man. In my case, it gave me time to reflect on my life and realize that I am ... divine. In fact, I have become Paisley Jesus!  ADDENDUM: Just found out that my brother also got sick this weekend. We think it was a "gift" from our nephews who had Norovirus this past week when we all got together for birthday dinner on Friday. Yours, Sylvan (Dave) Current mood:  exhausted.
Well, after the nightmare, I got food poisoning. Yeah: good day, today. -Dave Current mood:  sick.
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