4 posts tagged “vox hunt”
Show us what you want, but can't have.
Are you sure you're ready for this, Vox? Here it is:
Yes, that's right, I want gay marriage to be legalized. I just read the most horrifying story over on Dancing Bear's site about a lesbian woman who was denied access - along with her children - to the the woman she had been partnered with for 18 years who was dying in the hospital. (You really must read the story because it is more horrifying and awful than I can give words to.) These two had been married for EIGHTEEN YEARS. (For the record, I consider a domestic partnership where two people have all of the trappings of marriage to in fact be a marriage.)
I have been married to my husband for almost ten years. If I had known then how big a battle gay marriage would become, I likely would have opted not to get married. I believe it is profoundly cruel to deny two people the opportunity to have the same level of respect and protection that a heterosexual couple has solely because these two people happen to be of the same gender. It is utterly arbitrary to say, "Yes, you two, you are okay to make medical choices for each other, but you two, I don't think so." Honestly, what difference does it make in your day-to-day life?
I know this is a big battleground for some Christian conservatives. (Now, before my neighbors attack me for criticizing Christians, please note I said some. And please also note that I am choosing not to address any other religions that also oppose gay marriage at this point - though I know they are out there - because they don't tend to be the one most influential on Washington.) The Christianity I grew up with taught me a few key things: don't judge others, don't hate, love every person and treat them as you would want to be treated.
Marriage is a great, beautiful, difficult and challenging path. By most accounts, I have a successful one (we are still together after almost 10 years and we still madly love each other). But I am no means any expert on it. I do not believe that I am somehow more fit for it because I am straight. Nor do I believe I am any more loving a spouse, any more loyal, any more prepared to make life and death decisions. I am not. I am just as equipped as everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, else out there.
I have never heard a single argument against gay marriage that makes sense (and for that matter didn't sound like it was being spat out by someone stricken with rabies). If you are against it, I ask you to look inside yourself and ask what difference it makes to you? In your daily life, what does it matter? And ask yourself if you are the kind of person that is comfortable having different standards for people based on immutable characteristics?
It used to be that this country sterilized people with developmental disabilities and refused to allow them to get married. Interracial marriages were criminal. We have taken a long time to evolve as a people and to treat each other with the respect and dignity we so desperately want. Why are we denying ourselves the opportunity to fully realize an equal society?
Show us what inspires you to write.
It's a pretty simple answer, really. This:
I also write because my brain likes to retain memories as pictures. Unfortunately, like with real photos, only with alarmingly increased speed, those pictures fade and the memories go with them. If I am able to record how I felt or what I thought in another medium, preferably writing because it allows me to capture all of the senses if I take the time to do so, it is a memory saved. No amount of ginkgo or ginseng can do for me what writing does.
Writing also allows me to come out of my shell a bit. Probably because I am able to choose my words more carefully and I don't have an audience sitting right here (that I can see anyway), I tend to be more open, forthright, and honest through this medium. With spoken words, there is a give and take - if I see someone start to close down at what I am saying, I will try to find a way to phrase my thoughts that might make them open back up. This is good in the sense that I am able to get through to more people. But, it often feels like censorship. To be heard, I must alter my natural way of speaking about a subject. When I write, I write what I think, what I feel, what I desire without much concern to what others may think or how they may respond. You all certainly have the option of not reading and we are under no obligation to make small talk together. (Which is another one of my favorite things about writing - no forced small talk. We can really get down to the meat of the subject without having to warm up the crowd first.)
Finally, I love words. Another feature of my brain wiring. I love the sound of words and playing with multiple meanings. I know it's a writer's crutch, but I also love alliteration. Despite loving the "sound" of words, I find that it is easiest for me to experience this aspect of language when I am writing.
So, it's all thanks to my brain that I am inspired to write.
Video: Show us your TV crush.
Submitted by quornflour.You all can keep McDreamy and McSteamy (though the post-shower scene was hot), any man who will drink or eat whatever is placed in front of him is my kind of man. Not to mention, he has a wicked sense of humor.
What's the first image that comes up when you Google your name?
for electric firefly, i get a pretty cool lamp:
but for my first name, i get this woman:
woo hoo. i suppose it says something about me that i'd rather have this other woman come up first (she was on the first page). i suppose i would take amazing voice over rockin' hot (albeit computer generated) body any day. after all, one you keep for life AND no one cares if you're beautiful as a musician, because being a musician makes you automatically sexy. two for the price of one.
