Bestest Birthday Trip Ever
jewel May 31st, 2010
Warning — this post is pretty long. Grab a cup of coffee or a pint and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed reliving it.
A few months ago, I decided that I would like to spend my 40th birthday in London, so I got to planning and searching for things I would like to do while there – keeping in mind that there is no way I would be able to pack in as much as I would like and still enjoy it. Still, I researched and consulted Google Earth when I wanted to see what places looked like and I planned and planned. I love doing that. Somewhere in the planning stages I decided that I would also like to go to Cardiff. And I am glad we did. So, anyway, I got the trip all planned out and booked and then we waited….for what seemed like an eternity for the time to come to travel.
Before I get into the details of our trip, I would like to say a few things about the weather this trip. We spent a week in London and Cardiff and not once did it rain while we were out and about. In fact, there was only one incidence of rain the whole trip and it was slight and while we were napping one afternoon in Cardiff. It was truly amazing. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather. It was sunny and the temperature was perfect for short sleeves for the majority of the time. We could not get over just how amazingly perfect it was.
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Back from vacation
jewel May 28th, 2010
We just got back last night from a week in the UK. I’m resting up and collecting my thoughts and going through pictures. I’ll write more about my trip soon. We had a fantastic time, and even though I wasn’t quite ready to come home yet, now that I am home, it is good to be here.
What century is this again???
jewel March 24th, 2010
Yet another reason to shun religion. Apparently, the principal at a Lutheran church’s elementary school didn’t think that women were an inferior species, or so it is alleged, so they voted to fire him. And of course women weren’t allowed to speak or vote at the hearing, because that would be tragic! What the hell?!?
I don’t know whether to be horrified that 76 men voted to fire Hartwig or hopeful that 74 voted to not fire him.
But hey – of course they didn’t leave women out entirely:
Women who wanted to ask questions were told to write them on a piece of paper and have a man read them aloud. But some, including Hartwig’s own daughter, said their questions were never read.
Not that it did any good.
“I actually passed three or four questions to a church council member and none of them were read,” said Emily Rae Hartwig. “I guess the way I felt about it, and the way many others felt, was that they were afraid of us (women). A lot of my dad’s supporters are women.”
What I don’t get is why there are even women that are members of that church. How low does your self esteem have to be to think it’s ok to be thought of as inferior and having no rights? Seriously.
The Flake Equation
A Hero Comes Out
jewel March 21st, 2010
I don’t have many heroes, especially still living, but one of my greatest heroes is James Randi. His tireless work in the skeptical community is inspiring and he’s cute and funny, too.
Today, he posted at Swift, that he is gay. I can’t say that it does or doesn’t surprise me. I never thought about it one way or the other, to tell you the truth. I am very happy for him that he finally feels, after 81 years, that he can be open about himself.
Well, here goes. I really resent the term, but I use it because it’s recognized and accepted.
I’m gay.
From some seventy years of personal experience, I can tell you that there’s not much “gay” about being homosexual. For the first twenty years of my life, I had to live in the shadows, in a culture that was — at least outwardly — totally hostile to any hint of that variation of life-style. At no time did I choose to adopt any protective coloration, though; my cultivation of an abundant beard was not at all a deception, but part of my costume as a conjuror.
Gradually, the general attitude that I’d perceived around me began to change, and presently I find that there has emerged a distinctly healthy acceptance of different social styles of living — except, of course, in cultures that live in constant and abject fear of divine retribution for infractions found in the various Holy Books… In another two decades, I’m confident that young people will find themselves in a vastly improved atmosphere of acceptance.
His hope for the future of young gay people is encouraging, too. I hope he is right that in the near future it will simply be no big deal.
Cheers to you, Mr. Randi!
Snow Tracking
jewel March 7th, 2010
Since we’ve had so much snow this winter, this handy snow tracking guide from xkcd might just come in handy! 
