I love this time of year

Yesterday, as I walked to the truck to get my son from school; I spotted a robin. "That's it", I thought, "Winter's over." We could get more snow. We could even get more ice, but the presence of robins means no more hard freezes.
The sparrows think so too. Today they were singing out their territory calls. "I'm here! Girls,girls,girls,girls, I'm here!" Soon the jays will be fighting for the best trees. The cardinals will stake out turf near the bird feeders; so as to get the best sunflower seeds. The neighborhood will be filled with splashes of color. In a month or so, the birds of prey will figure out that there's an abundance of food here; and I'll get to see the hawks and falcons.

The first year we lived here, I got to see bats up close. I also met the groundhog that lives under the porch 2 doors down. The next year I saw a turkey, bald eagles and a skunk. Can you believe I live in a city? I wonder what new critters I'll see this year.

Something to think about

Zombyboy of RessurectionSong ponders whether same sex marriage is a civil rights issue, or not. Before I get into my own commentary, I want to point out two things right up front:
1. Zombyboy says some very positive things, including this. "I think that America, and marriage, are both big enough to endure benefit from extending the privilege of marriage to the gay and lesbian community."
2. I know RessurectionSong is one of the BIG blogs, and I'm not trying to glean any hits from the site. He brought up some points that gave me the impetus to write.

Ok then. Zombyboy writes "In what way is it a civil rights violation to say that there are rules for entering into a specific kind of contract and if you do not meet those eligibility requirements you are being discriminated against?"

Well, lets see. Buying a house is a specific kind of contract. There was a time in America when certain people were ineligible to own property. That was modified into certain people being ineligible to own real property; as in real estate. That was modified again to be that certain people could only own real property in certain neighborhoods.
I've studied real estate law thoroughly. These people did not meet the recognized eligibility requirements due to their ethnic heritage. Nonetheless, they were discriminated against.
So here's the thorny problem. Some believe that homosexuality is a choice. No one says that ethnic heritage is a choice. Yet there was a space of nearly 100 years between the Emancipation Proclamation and the legal right for African Americans to buy property in any neighborhood. Do we really have to wait a century or more for this to be considered a civil rights issue?

If

If St. Louis begins offering same sex marriage licenses, I will personally give roses to the first hundred couples.

Tracking Marriage Proposals
heh. Marriage proposal... get it?
Victoria Dunlap, a county clerk in BERNALILLO, NEW MEXICO issued 66 same sex marriage lisences on Friday. Today she issued refunds, or recorded the licenses that were presented to her.

GEORGIA's senate debates the issue.

Republicans in INDIANA are refusing to come to the floor of the House as long as same sex marriage is upen for debate.

MICHIGAN has some pretty vocal people (with blinders on!) in this article.

Two FLORIDA men are suing for the right to marry.

And SAN FRANCISCO keeps marching on...

Wednesday

This morning, Hubby said, "I'm done with smoking. And I'm quitting Pepsi, too." I refrained from asking, "Who are you, and what have you done with my Hubby?"
NPR mentioned that people are still getting married in San Francisco. It reminded me of Badger's comment that her friends flew to San Francisco to get married. My thoughts went through the history of people standing up for their rights, and I was moved. I'm always moved when I think about such things.
There is no reason to be threatened by someone elses partnership. There is every reason to stand up and ask for equal rights for everyone. Not "seperate but equal", just plain equal. Heterosexuals need to stand up for the rights of all adults to marry.
And finally, St. Louis has registered 32,000 new voters since July.

Get this party started

It's 4:26 pm. I am late for a party. I was supposed to bring the massage table, and I'm not going to. See, last week I bumped my knee on the refrigerator. I knew I'd done some serious damage when the limits-of-my-threshold pain subsided, thanks to endorphins. Because I'm an idiot, and refuse to accept it when I'm hurt, I rushed to Persephone's house to get the coffee I'd left there. I knew I had less than an hour before the endorphins wore off. Once home, I smeared comfrey all over my knee and hoped for the best. The comfrey only lasted a few hours. Next I tried ibuprofen. I took 3, where I usually take one, and smeared comfrey all over the knee again. I amused myself by watching the bruise grow and poking at the puffiness around it. The ibuprofen only lasted a few hours. Ok, now I knew I'd done serious serious damage.
I thought, "It's not broken, I can still walk on it. I didn't tear anything, I can still walk on it... I don't need an x-ray, I can still walk on it." etc.

We have a variety of prescription painkillers in the house, because Hubby has degenerative disk disease in his neck. He offered me valium and percocet, but I refused. I had to drive L to school in the morning. So I dosed myself with Ny-Quil and went to bed. The next day was bad, but what can ya do? I pushed on. That night, ibuprofen and comfrey were my friends again. At least until I woke at 4:08 am. It felt like my kneecap was split in two. I spent the next 2 1/2 hours trying to meditate the pain away enough to make it to the medicine cabinet. When I finally stood up, those good old endorphins kicked in, so I used the time to rush L to school and make it back to the sofa. My whole week has been like that. Meditation, medication and pain receptor overload. I really want to massage! And I'd be a fool to try it on one leg. I had 3 lined up this week, the most customers I've had in months! dammit. We don't need the cash, yet I really wanted the work. I like to work.
Yesterday, my body let me know it had had enough. I got my first ever migraine. Ibuprofen and peppermint oil made it bearable, but it was the final straw. I called Persephone and canceled on the massages. I still baked a batch of chocolate covered espresso cookies, though. I'm wondering if I can just drop them off and get out. I know Persephone will understand, but I feel like I'm letting her down big time.
It's been a week! I should be fine!
and I'm not
and I hate it
and I don't want to go to the doctor, get yet another x-ray of my knee, and be given a bunch of pain pills I probably won't take.
Because I'm stubborn that way.

No Working Title

There's a fascinating debate going on at The Soulful Blogger.
It began with a post on The Sick Soul, which was read by Joe -author of The Soulful Blogger. Joe wrote his opinions on his blog, which began The Great Debate on anal sex. In and amongst the truly eloquent commenting, are a few things I want to write at length about:

On the entire thread: Why do some people regard sex as a non-worthwhile thing?
Josh S said: There's no such thing as a "gay married couple." Mutual consent, sexual attraction, and commitment aren't sufficient causes for a marriage.
??? My heterosexual marriage is based on mutual consent, sexual attraction, and commitment. What's yours based on? I've known some really screwed up people who came from parents who's marriage was based on procreation.
Tess argues: Ironically female oral sex to climax is just fine, since it isn't vital to fertility.
Actually, female climax is vital to fertility. Climax produces fluids which make the vagina a habitable region for sperm. Climax also causes the cervix to spasm, which draws the semen into the uteris. If it's all about procreation, then you're wasting valuable resources and chemical energy every time you don't conceive.

(sigh)

Gay Marriage and Stem Cells

Both are top headlines today. CNN just can't say enough about them. Rather than spout my opinions at length, I'm gonna spout my thoughts at brief. :)

Korean scientists cloned some embryos and harvested the stem cells. So what if a soul decided to live the briefest of lives, by inhabiting a few-day old cluster of cells? Would the soul live within the stem cells? Would the soul survive, and like any transplant -grow-live-thrive? Are there any souls out there who want to spend some time here swarming in a petri dish? I believe that souls choose.
Also, here are a few things stem cells might be able to do some day:
Give your grandmother sight again.
Give a newborn a proper heart.
Give a survivor of violent crime a new limb.
Give a paraplegic a way to walk.
Grow a new uterus, ovaries or cervix.
Grow a new prostate, colon or testicles.
Cure Alzheimers. Cure cancer. Cure AIDs?
End arthritis.
Create hope.
Think of one more thing and add it to the list!

Gay Marriage
I've heard the arguments against it, and I remain unconvinced. The worst agreement, the one that makes my blood boil is the stupid, "God says marriage is between one man and one woman." So change the wording

Reprint every tax form, questionnaire and survey. Change "marriage" to "union". For everyone! I've been legally unioned -unionized(?) to my hubby for 13+ years. On our 5th anniversary, we were handfasted. I got "married" in front of the Gods and everybody. Is there a difference? Well, yes, there is. I waited 5 years for a ceremony that included religion. Legally is there a difference? No. From the second our legal union was recorded; I got insurance benefits, death benefits, joint property rights, and the ability to hold my partner's hand in a hospital room. I have the right to speak for my husband when he is indisposed. Phone rings. "Is (name) there?" "He's not available. This is his wife, may I help you?"

Denying gay marriage is no different than denying blacks or women the right to vote. It is no different from denying property rights. This country has spent 238 years working toward "All are created equal". Take a minute to remember that.

A discussion of slavery

Every morning, as I drive my son to school, we talk about stuff. Between pithy comments about other drivers, L and I teach each other. It usually begins with a question such as, "Hey mom, remember that time we did that thing...?" Today's driving lesson began thus: "What's the difference between centrifugal and centripetal force?"
How does this get around to slavery, you're wondering? Bear with me, I'm getting to that.

When I went to school, the force that makes things go away from the center of spin was called centrifugal force. That's why the machine that separates blood by spinning it is called a centrifuge. Somewhen between my education and L's, the powers that be came up with a more exact term. Spinning now induces centripetal force. Go figure.

I'm glad textbooks change, though... because when I was in school, my history class taught just one instance of slavery. It got me thinking -way back in the 7th grade- about omissions in textbooks. (I believe I wrote here about my dad beating my ass, because I once apologized to a black girl for my race keeping slaves. anyway...)
So it got me thinking. Part of my ancestry is Native American. There is a strong chance that those ancestors either had slaves, or were slaves themselves. Hm! But that's not all. Part of my ancestry is Sicilian. Sicily was part of the Roman Empire. Again, there's a strong chance of either side of slavery in my lineage. And there's more! I'm 1/2 Welsh. History says slavery!

I fell silent, lost in my thoughts, tracing my lineage and wondering. L was silent too. Perhaps he was enjoying a (for once) quite ride to school, or maybe... just maybe, he was thinking.

Trance

I want to take a minute to talk about ecstatic trance. If you go to google and type in 'define trance', you'll get this: trance -a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation.
You'll also get a link to more definitions. A lot more definitions. For me, trance is a state of quiet internalization. Trance can also be a quiet internalization which I draw others into, or where I draw myself into them. Then there's ecstatic trance. Traditionally, this means working the body into a state where the ego fades and the mind becomes free-floating. I think the body produces so many chemicals to mask the pain, provide energy, preserve fluids, etc, that it creates a sort of "tripping" effect. Some shamans take drugs or poisons to enter ecstatic trance, some exhaust their bodies, and some just go there. I should rephrase that. All shamans just go there, some of them use a longer route.

I don't use drugs. I don't dance or exercise to the point of exhaustion. I don't starve myself, or go without water. I believe my body must be maintained, not damaged. Ecstatic trance can be achieved without trashing your body. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how. Trance is a state of being. For me, ecstatic trance is driven by need and will. Someone must need the information and they must be unable to get the information themselves, and I must be willing to see/feel/taste/touch/know the information they seek. Sometimes I'm unwilling to experience what the subject needs to know. An example is regression and soul retrieval. Sometimes I'm unwilling to walk through someone's abusive childhood... (I'm leaving that there, because it accurately states a hangup for me) Reworded:
Sometimes people want me to walk through their abusive childhood, pick up the pieces and bring them back. I never want to do that. Sometimes the need is so great, and the person's block is so huge; that walking through their life alone and bringing back the ugliness is the only way. A far better way is to take that person by the metaphorical hand and walk with them, keeping them safe, pointing the way and helping them embrace the pieces of themselves that they had left behind.
When that happens, I am not the only one experiencing ecstatic trance. The other person becomes radiant, both during trance and afterward. Even when we both break down in tears, we glow. I always feel honored and gifted when I'm able to help people in that way.

Really, I think the ability to walk alongside someone in ecstatic trance is the greatest of my gifts. The precognition, minor telekinesis and medical intuitiveness all pale in comparison to helping someone help themselves become a bit more whole.

I think anybody can do the things I do. I think some people choose not to. I also think someday my soul will grow up, and I'll spend a life or three choosing not to. :) I hope those lives are as happy as the one I'm having now.