gay marriage and debates with grandpa

This afternoon, the 17th Annual Savannah Film Festival screened "Limited Partnership"...and I found myself flashing back to me as a 17-year-old, debating gay rights with my grandfather.
I was in tears for most of the documentary.
I remembered reading about two men who had gotten married to each other, right here in the USA. The year was 1975. That summer, on one of our trips to Waycross to "vacation" with my mother's folks, Grandpa and I started having our debates.
On what topics?
The differences between religions.
Women's rights, in and out of the workplace.
Flat tax versus the pro rata type still in use.
Gay rights... and gay marriage.

I had not realized, until I was watching the film, that THESE men, the couple in THIS true story, were the ones which had instigated some of our debates.
Tony Sullivan and Richard Adams.
An Australian and a Filipino-American.
The two men were successful in obtaining a marriage certificate in Boulder, Colorado, on April 21, 1975. It wasn't because gay marriage was legal there...but it wasn't illegal, either.
Unfortunately, the federal government refused to recognize the marriage as bona fide. Tony was to be deported anyway. And so the story unfolded.
All I could think about was how much I missed Grandpa.
I remembered Mama and Grandma talking in the kitchen, aghast and amazed that he and I were having such discussions.
I was raised Southern, in the 1960's and 1970's, and James Robert Lee, my grandfather, was a former traveling Baptist minister.
Take a moment and try to consider that.
It truly was a momentous thing for a teen-aged girl to be holding such debates with her almost 60-year-old elder in a small town in Georgia.
And now I was in the presence of one of the men who had been the subject of some of our discussions.
Tony Sullivan was there for a post-screening Q & A session.
I think I cried through most of that, too. He was looking at me, as you can see in the photo above, no doubt curious about why his story had such an effect on me.
I have so many friends, through the decades, who have had to deal with this kind of strife.
How sad to think there is still so much bias in the world.
Yes, it's getting better... but so slowly.
It's been almost forty years since these two men wed. Richard died last year, leaving Tony alone to continue the fight for all people, everywhere, to marry the one they love, to make that commitment for life.
I hope that fight will soon be over.
Love is such a precious blessing. Two in love should be able to lawfully become one.

musical note for the ex

Good thing he doesn't have a job like this!
When I read this, I laughed!
To heck with the drug raid - get that grilling recipe!

Who would better appreciate this than my ex?
No one, that's Who!

who wrote the book of love?

Not me, I assure you.
This began as a "Thank-You" note to the bfe, then developed into this little book, full of thoughts of him gathered along the way.
Crazy, right?
Yeah, maybe.
Probably.
Here it is, so you figure it out and let me know, okay?

Oh, one more thing.
You're no doubt wondering why I didn't actually use one of the many actual "Thank-You" cards I have handy.
Good question!
I was going to use one the fancy blank cards I bought at MOAS some time ago. However, it turned out I had more envelopes than cards, so... I improvised.
I knew I had several clippings to enclose and didn't want the envelope to become too heavy.
The 'book' just followed from there.
Serendipity...

ain't she a peach?

Let me start off with this: Today has been an excellent day.

Sure, it began (for me) as 57 degrees Fahrenheit at 10 AM, which is definitely not a preferred temperature in my book.
Top that off with a nearly empty refrigerator, as I have yet to go to the grocery store. No milk, no English muffins or bread, no Sweet Thing.
So, I called up my middle brother.
'Want to go to breakfast at IHOP with me?'
He replies, "Sure, but give me fifteen minutes. I was just taking a beer over to my girlfriend. She's all down about having lost her job."
'Okay, that'll work for me.'
Then he says, "Well, if I do that, I won't have time to get any trim this morning."
'You know what? We don't have to do this today, Ronnie. We'll get together for brunch some other time.'
He gratefully agreed and was gone.

Brunch still sounded like a good idea to me.
I checked the Galley menu: Garlic Orange Chili Shrimp Stir Fry. omG! One of my favorites! And Sloppy Joes, too! Yum!
So, off I went to the southside to dine!
And it was soooo good!
I even ran into one of my favorite former students (Hi, Janet!) and a couple others that I like, too. (Shout out to Jonathan and Jasmine and Jacob!)
I even stopped by the Fine Arts building to obtain a ticket for the next Masquers' production, "The Pillowman". A scary tale for a Tuesday evening, but I think I'll be up for it. Plus, with my Faculty ID, it's free!

I paused for a moment to smell the warm roses in the sunlight.

Afterward, I decided to go give blood. It's been 56 days, plus a couple.
Amazingly, the donor center was busy! Very good!
That meant the whole process took a little longer than I had planned, but that's okay. As I told Natasha, after her third apology to me for the wait, 'Hey, I have no problem waiting a little while when y'all have so many willing donors here. That's a very good problem to have!'
After about 90 minutes total, I was completely done and out the door.
Good!
I'll be able to give again just before Christmas.

Next on my checklist: go early vote!
I was a little dismayed when I pulled into the parking lot and saw how many cars were there. Prepared for a wait, I proceeded ahead anyway... and was pleasantly surprised at how few people were actually in line!
Alrighty then!
I performed my civic duty, graciously received my "Georgia peach" sticker, and went off to accomplish the next item on my checklist.
Downtown I headed!
It's time for the 17th Savannah Film Festival! Time to purchase my Savannah Pass, for magical admittance to all of the daytime films, documentaries, and shorts. Oh, yeah!
True, they did raise the price 50% this year. FIFTY PERCENT.
Ouch.
But, I had been gifted the money, so I paid.
I've even already marked some collections to be sure to hit!
And I'll even have a little money to pay for parking on those weekdays downtown.
Good!

Then back to home! Throw the mail in the house! Turn on the porch light!
Zip back downtown to meet the bfe for dinner!
And I surprised him by being a little early - good!
We dined on ceviche (both) and steak tacos (him) and chorizo fajitas on rice - very good!
We ate at a leisurely pace, taking our time, chatting and laughing and soaking up each other's company for the next two hours - best of all!
Then, time came to jet over to the Muse Arts Warehouse for an offering from the Psychotronic Film Society. The Found Footage Festival was celebrating its tenth anniversary of dredging through VHS dreck for highlights and we were there to enjoy the frivolities!
After all, for Christmas of 2012, I had given the bfe two volumes of their work, after seeing the show in 2012. (I had also given two other works of theirs to my nephew, Michael.)
We bought tickets for the raffle and guess what? I won! It's a DVD of the stop-motion animation works of Bruce Bickford, a collaborator with Frank Zappa. I look forward to watching it with the bfe some future evening!

Nick and Joe were quite entertaining tonight as they presented their most recently garnered video clips in Volume 7. Some bad music from a preacher, some crazy facial exercises, Swedish sex instruction for the blind, "how to" do cybersex ... you get the picture? Pretty crazy stuff, captured by viewing hours and hours of bad video.
Then they bounced back to two guys from their first year of the Found Footage Festival. John and Johnny were two salesguys hawking everything from sunglasses and jewelry to ladies' clothing on cable television. Entertaining? You bet!
Then Nick and Joe decided it would be really cool to track these two guys down and reunite them for a trip back through time. Major coolness, right?
So, that's what they did. And John and Johnny, now middle-aged gents, agreed to reprise some of those old sales pitches they'd done for the shopping network. And to allow Nick and Joe to tape the scenes for this latest video. Cool! What good sports they were!
Then Joe told us how the evening progressed from there.
They all went out to hoist a few brews to celebrate the completion of the mission. Then the four guys had a few more beers, as the night wore on.
Then Johnny, being the most ribald of the group, grabbed the ketchup bottle and said, "Hey! Want to see me turn this into some fruit?" At which point he turns his back, then whips back around with the bottle at his crotch and says, "Ain't she a peach?"

I laughed!
I was the only one who did.
Joe said I was the only one who had ever laughed at that story.
Honestly?
I have a middle brother who does stuff like that all the time - and he has done so for almost twenty years.
I guess other folks must lead pretty sheltered lives.

The bfe didn't get up and move, so that's a good thing.
The librarian, sitting to the other side of me, stayed put, too.
Friends.
Today was definitely an excellent day.

sending seashells 2 sue

Dear Sue,

I tore these out of the paper some time ago, specifically for you, then buried them under the perpetual mess which is my dining room table.
No longer!
Now that they've been unearthed, they need to travel away from here before another stack of papers lands on top of them.
Seriously! :-)

During the school year, when lab papers are constantly raining down on me, the table becomes my workspace, with only a small area reserved for my morning coffee and meals.
That's okay.
Come mid-December, school will be over and the table top will be visible once more!
Well, at least until mid-January, right?

Enjoy these thoughts of you!

with much love always
to you and your family!

I so enjoy these word puzzles!

The caption reads "After his plastic surgery, Donald Duck had"
and the answer is
"BILL PAYMENTS"

Cute, right?

This one's 'aside' reads:
The last time Mary ever asked a patient to tell her something "in your own words".
Meanwhile, the patient is babbling gobbledy gook.

That's pretty funny, too!
I'll have to be sure to use that in the future.
(smile)

So, now you know a little about my little sister, such as one of her favorite things and what type of work she does.
Pretty cool, eh?
(smile)

i'm walkin', yes, indeed

Tonight marked the fourth time that I've participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Light The Night" walk.
As part of the support group from Armstrong State University, representing the College of Science and Technology, I was team captain of the "Cheering Scientists Toward a Cure" bunch.
I originated the team name, with some help from Cynthia Graves, in 2011, our first year of participation as a group.
Here's the team page and my page.
Even though the event is over in Savannah, donations are always welcomed for the cause!

Here I am with my dear friend, Marilyn O'Mallon. She and I have known each other a LONG time.
She was a student of mine, once upon a time, earning her Bachelor's degree in Nursing.
Now, she has a doctorate and is a faculty member in the College of Health Professions. Here's her team's page for the walk.

She had asked me to be a team captain last year and I had accepted.
After all, I had been part of the Chemistry & Physics Department for almost two decades.
Getting folks there to support the cause should be fairly easy, right?

Silly me!

At least
I had
the good sense
to create
my own
T-shirt
in honor of
the event!




By the week of the Walk this year, I knew I would not earn a lighted balloon to carry, the LLS' commemorative T-shirt to wear, or the title "Champion for Cure". All I needed for that title was a mere hundred dollars to be donated to my page.
I did try to earn the funds.
I sent emails to the professors in each department of my college, to alert them to the team and to request support, either by joining the team or providing funds. I challenged them to give up the cost of just one cup of coffee, one fast food meal, one 6" sub.
I graced bulletin boards in the Science Center with posters of the event. (Just like the one above!)
Two students from CST joined the team.
No one, except me, donated any money.
That's right.
No contributions from Engineering.
No contributions from Biology.
No contributions from Computer Science & Information Technology.
No contributions from Psychology.
No contributions from Mathematics.
No contributions (except mine) from Chemistry & Physics.

Yeah, that last one was disappointing, but hardly surprising.
Still, I had hoped for at least some token support.

I had even appealed to my family and friends, in person, via emails, and by use of facebook requests.
No takers.
Rather, no givers.
(smile)

That's okay.
There's always next year.

just visiting

Odd, but blue-sky days can be the most difficult.

just one look and i fell so hard, oh ohhh

Today, I've had my own little film festival. Three movies at the local multiplexes: one foreign, one musical, and one drama.
Let's just say this day has run the gamut of my emotional range and I am wiped out.

It started early this afternoon. Oh, but first, let me give a little introduction before I launch into my "today".

Early in September, I had found that Bollywood films were coming to Savannah! Well, close enough here for me! I'd gone to see "Raja Natwarlal" at the Royal in Pooler, having missed it on its short run here in town. What great fun! Imagine "The Sting" as a musical, then add lots of jingly-jangly costumes and a healthy dollop of humor - I loved it!!! It was the kind of movie that I would have gladly seen twice, given the opportunity.
Ever since, I've kept my eye (the left one, my "good" eye) on the cinema schedules of the Royal there and the Wynnsong here in town.
Finally my vigilance was rewarded! "Bang Bang!" would have its final screening in town today, before its weeklong run in Pooler.

So, that was my first order of business today. Go get some fresh Bollywood and maybe have leftovers next week! And, oh, am I glad I did! There I was, at 1:00 PM sharp, sitting in the cinema, watching "Bang Bang!" And getting totally hot and bothered. Totally. Lots of action, a plot involving spies and a case of mistaken identity during an internet-arranged blind date, lots of singing, lots of dancing! Lots of Hrithnik Roshan. Oh, my! I found myself on the edge of my seat, trying to get as close to him as I could.
Raawwwrrrr!
Three hours later, I found myself heading straight home to relieve some sexual tension. Straight home. No radio, taking the parkway as much as possible, concentrating only on the mission at hand. Seriously.
What a relief it was, too! It's been a while since I was that ...that ...you know what I mean! A woman has needs, especially after watching that man move and listening to that man talk and sing... oh, my, Y E S!!! And you know what the attraction was? He was built like a real man. Solid shoulders, solid haunches, great hair, incredible eyes... the combination was irresistible to me.
I will, most assuredly, go see this again next week.
Oh, yes, I will.
This definitely rates a trip out to Pooler.

So.. where was I? Oh, yes, talking about the emotional rollercoaster of my film festival today.
Well, that was the giddy high point.
Afterward, I took a little break before heading back southside. I had tried to get my friend Lauri to come with me, as I know she has a soft spot for World War II films, but she had other plans. Actually, I think she backed off when I said it was a musical.
Perhaps she was expecting it would be too lightweight if the players were breaking out in song? Not quite. Tim Rice's "From Here To Eternity: The Musical" was certainly full of pathos and realism. Anyone who thinks all musicals, Broadway or off, are simply farsical fun need to take another look, especially at opera. This work has a lot of serious pieces, more so than songs of mirth, as can be seen in this trailer. Robert Lonsdale and Ryan Sampson were especially good in this theatrical piece. If you ever get the chance, please do watch it.
I was glad I did, but saddened a little by it. My Great-Uncle Sam Grantham was over in Pearl Harbor on that auspicious day in 1941, a day that came to life again in this play-turned-film. I cannot even imagine what impact that had upon him as a young man. He died of colon cancer when I was a teen; I don't recall him ever talking about those days as a sailor in Hawaii. However, this musical brought home to me how great a shock it must have been to go from watching hula girls one day to trying to save your life the next morning.
Well, that was very sobering.

One last movie to finish out the day, I thought. Let's make it a new one, fresh from the West Coast! And in the very same southside cinema as the musical, too. More Regal points for me!
"The Judge" promised Robert Downey, Jr., in a serious role, as opposed to playing Marvel's Iron Man. (Please note: I love the Marvel films, I do! But I wanted to see Downey stretch a little, too.)
No one warned me that this was a father-son film in which the father was dying of cancer. That last little part was left out of the previews.
It certainly did allow for some stretching of acting skills for both him and Robert Duvall. Both were well-equipped for the challenge and did a stellar job. That made sure I would be in tears at the end.
As if I wouldn't have been reminded of my own father's death from cancer, just five years ago.

All in all, one heck of a day.
I'll have to do this again sometime.
It's good for me to stretch, too!

catchin' up the bro

Dear Dood,

Hey! I'm busy with school, busy with my social schedule, busy with yard work. All of that rain has had me mowing the front and back yards constantly. Well, I doubt that is true, but it sure seems that way.

The birthday party for Sebi was quite nice!
I had made a stuffed monkey for him, making sure it was super cuddly.
To my surprise, monkeys are a favorite of his!
Yeah!
And he really liked the toy and everyone else was delighted!





Hope is working at the Chu's store on the main street at Tybee, near the pier, and seems to like the work. Sebi is actually walking, albeit a little hesitantly, and is quickly getting a mouth full of teeth. He has such lovely, curly hair and beautiful brown eyes! I've enclosed the photo I took there. (I made two copies, one for each of us.)

The baby shower for Michael and Melanie's twin girls went very nicely, too. Alyssa and Leila are due in early November. Michael will have his hands full. I don't think he has a clue how tired he is going to be. Plus, he seems to think 3 packages of diapers will last them for about 3 weeks. Nope! That may be enough for one baby for three weeks, but certainly nowhere near enough for twins. He's smart, though, so he should do fine after that first week or so.

See you on October 25th!

with much love!

you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Tonight, I danced with a homeless man in the pale moonlight! Not nearly as dramatic as dancing with the devil, I'm sure, but it certainly had an equivalent impact on those around me.
This was the annual Picnic In The Park, with musical accompaniment by the Savannah Philharmonic and the Savannah Theatre entertainers. That last was a surprise! They were not on the program at all, appearing in the second hour with a medley from "Mama Mia!" and with Gretchen singing "Let it Go" from the oh-so-popular movie, "Frozen".
How did I come to be dancing with the homeless man?
Well, here's the set-up. I had arrived to Forsyth Park about 6:30 PM, to join a meetup group. I've gone to a couple of events with these ladies, some of whom I know from No Kidding!, so that's a plus. Anywho, I was actually a little late, but still well in time for the main event of music. I actually managed to find the group (!), and then, while we were waiting for others to return to our picnic site, I wandered off to admire the decorated tables.
You see, the event includes prizes for best-decor, in keeping with the theme of "Fly Me To The Moon". Nice, right? Even the moon was down with that! The woman who had set this as an event for our group is an artist. Her depiction of folks being flown to the moon, to play among the stars, was the focal point of the floral centerpiece for our table. I was allowed to carry it off, giving the flowers to Boo and Sandy. Sah-weet!
So, as I said, I was off to admire others' handiwork.

From tables laden with plates and bowls brim-full of food...

to simple picnic baskets on blankets...

or table linens set with fine crystal and bone china under soft candlelight...

while some brewed moonshine under the moon's pale glow...

and others invited you to step back in time...

on this flight to the moon and the stars...
(The real moon is between the moon and star in this photo, but my lens did not capture its essence.)

By the time the music had begun, I was still cruising the scenery!
Then, I heard my name... and heard it again! KT! Deborah! Jamie! So I detoured to their tent, enjoying tasty snacks and sandwiches and company for a while. Actually, I was there until intermission.
Oops! Time to rejoin the others!

Off I headed, back to the Pulaski monument, which was serving as the location beacon for the 40+WSN. By now, night was in full swing and trying to find the group took a little longer than I had expected. Oh, no, I thought, had they moved? Gone home early?
Then I found them!
And, right away, I had a man approach me and ask me to dance.
"To this song?" I asked.
"Yes, you just have to dance slowly," he replied.
And, dance we did, turning and dipping and raising our arms to the beat of "The Imperial March", more commonly known as "Darth Vader's Theme". Fun!!!
We received claps from onlookers, then he was off into the crowds.
I returned to my group, to be met with kudos for not being afraid to do anything! Nice to have folks think I'm fearless, right?
Then, I asked who the guy was.
Just someone who had just approached them, wanting to know if they had any wine.
What? They didn't know him??
Heck, I had though he was part of the group! I had even given him a handshake-into-a-hug when I came up.
Would I have danced with him if I had known he was a stranger?
Probably so.
I don't tend to say no to folks who ask me to dance.
Would I have been so free in my style?
Well, again, probably so.
He was being very free in his style, so that gave me carte blanche to follow his lead.
Did I have fun?
Admittedly so!
And, in case you're wondering, I most certainly did dance with him again, later, when he had returned during the "Mama Mia!" medley.
John, I'm only dancing.
(smile)

puns with 13-year-old boys

For the first thirty minutes of this movie, I was truly wondering why I was sitting there.
I seemed to not have a clue why this movie had been made.
Trust me, I had been warned.
At the Feast of Saint Francis party on Friday, John had told me about it. "The Trip to Italy", he said, was good for the cinematography, but the restaurant scenes, with the quips back and forth between the two guys, get a bit stale very quickly.
So, I had an idea of what I was in for this afternoon.
The two actors most certainly spent much of their screen time in mimicry, with nothing that passed for original thoughts ever being uttered.
Then, I got it.

This is the scene that drove the point home.
The two are sitting at a patio table on a veranda, brilliant blue water behind them, lovely trees to the side.
The pretty woman who is the concierge at the hotel walks by.
"She's got a lovely gait," one says.
"Probably padlocked," replies the other.

That's when I realized I was watching two thirteen-year-old boys, in middle-aged men's bodies, off on a jolly trip in the Italian countryside to gather information for a book. So, the banter back and forth, the idle and constant chatter, the quoting in character voice - that's all part and parcel of these two reverting back to their teens after sloughing off the responsibilities of their lives.
I rather enjoyed the rest of the movie.
I'll have to thank the bfe.
He's the only 13-year-old boy I know.
(smile)