Monthly Archives: November 2008

Photo Friday: Autumn

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Spring has always been my fave season. It still is & prob always will be. About 5 years ago, I started an appreciation for Autumn. I’ve always liked that name – Autumn. Such a pretty name. I think it’s the “au” in it; words w/ “au” in them always seemed so warm. But 5 years ago, is when I started taking walks regularly in University Circle.

University Circle is 500 acres of a park atmosphere, w/ schools, museums, & the University Hospital system in it. One of the museums is the Natural History Museum & they have a bunch of dinosaurs all around it. I’ve never been into dinosaurs but for some reason, I just really loved walking over to that museum & being around the dinosaurs & trees in the park. That’s where I started to appreciate the colors of autumn. The colors are so vivid & perfect there.

autumn1

Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the last 3 years, we’ve had no Spring OR Autumn. I’m sure it’s b/c of global warming (but I think my colleagues think I’m talking crazy when I go on about it). But seriously, I think we’ve missed out on Spring & Autumn the last 3 years b/c of Global Warming. We have green leaves on trees, then a couple storms blow through, & 2 or 3 days later, the tree limbs are bare.

This is the 1st year in a long time that we’ve had fall colors!!! I got so excited about all the colors & I’ve gone out this past month & taken so many pics of all the beautiful colors. B/c I’m so afraid that this may be the last time. I never expected to miss “Autumn” the last 3 years, but it never came around. Who knows if it will again?

Anyway, I love when you see all the oranges, & various shades of browns & greens. Then, BAM!, all of a sudden, in the middle of them all is a bright yellow or red tree. Love it. Here’s a pic taken on MLK Jr. Drive. Of course, I doctored it up, that’s half the fun! ;)

You know you wanna see everyone else’s pix too. So click here to go to PhotoFriday’s linkviewer.

I didn’t realize it was still 1960

Posted on by yllwdaisies

So, I already mentioned I’m pretty upset about stupid Prop 8 in Cali going through. I’d love to see someone put up a proposition to ban hetero marriage. No… that’d be preposterous, right?

Seriously, who’s to say that one union is legit simply b/c of the party’s pieces/parts?

“But what about the children?”

Really? So, it’s totally cool if Alex gets a sex change oppo, becomes Alexis, & marries a dude? Trust ppl, you’ll have a much harder time explaining that to your 5-yr old. & the kids don’t care. Every kid I’ve ever met totally understands, if 2 ppl love each other, they get married. They’re so idealistic, they don’t even know about the probs/conflicts a couple face.

It more acceptable to marry you cousin than for a same-sex marriage to take place. Uh…. that’s right ppl, I said marry your cousin. Seriously, though, it’s legal to marry your cousin in 26 states. There’s even a loophole in Vermont’s state government that allows DOGS to marry!

You know how we look back 100 or 200 years & say that it seems unreal that certain civil liberties didn’t exist then (like voting for some ppl)? I can’t help but be embarrassed for what our descendants are going to think of us deny civil liberties in 2008!

On June 2nd, 1958, Richard Loving & Mildred Jeter were married. 5 weeks later, they were arrested & then sentenced to a year in jail. Wanna know why? B/c interracial marriages were prohibited. Of course they appealed it. This idocity went on for 9 years before the US Supreme Court unanimously overturned it.

“… The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men. Marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man,” fundamental to our very existence and survival … Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.”

- Chief Justice Earl Warren, June 12, 1967

gay-interrcl-marriage

How is Prop 8 in Cali (or 102 in Arizona, or 2 in Florida) even really an issue that we are debating today? Hello, 2008, it’s 1960 on the phone for you.

In Arkansas, an LGBT person can’t even adopt a child. I’ve counted 17 states (you can double-check it, I got a headache counting) that don’t even recognize same-sex civil unions!!!

I’m not going to go on any further. B/c I’ll just blow a gasket. (Does anyone say that anymore? No? Just me? Whatev.)

So, I’ll leave y’all w/ a comment I once left to someone else’s comment saying that why can’t “they” just be happy w/ “civil unions”. You know why?

Cause there was never a top-ten hit that went,

“♪♫♪♪ Goin to the Chapel, & we’re gonna get Civil-Unioned ♫♪♪”….

It’s still not the same thing. It would be the equivalent of telling “certain ppl” that they can ride on the same bus to the same destination, but they have to sit at the back of the bus.

You might argue: Why would they care? They still get to the same place.

B/c it’s saying that they’re different/lesser, & don’t deserve the idealism that “regular ppl” do.

The reason “regular” is in quotes is b/c I don’t believe that being straight is a “regular” trait. Maybe it’s a dominant trait (like having brown eyes, versus the recessive having blue eyes.). But that 2nd link shows that homosexuality has been around for eons, & they’ve even proven it exists naturally in animals.

Want to do something about it? Try:

Photo Friday: Garden

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Yes, I know it’s Thurs. I’m trying the best I can, ppl. I still (just barely) made it though, eh?

So, you know how much I love Cleve. I almost posted a Photo Friday post last weekend of an NYC pic. It was pretty cool. I’m a big fan of architecture, asymmetry, urban planning, & such. Well, there’s a spot in the NYC that you’ll be walking down a street, skyscrapers on either side, cars (read: taxis) rushing down the roads. Then, BAM!, you’re in a tranquil garden area. I love the dichotomy. It’s form & function all together. There’s actually quite a few spots like this.

Anyway, I decided not to cause I had to post my beautiful city. You know how they say that if you wanna find the bad neighborhood in any city, find their MLK Jr. Dr. on the map? (Well, they do).

Our MLK Jr. Drive is breathtakingly beautiful. It’s lined w/ the Cultural Gardens, there’s 51 countries (I think). I saw them doing 2 new ones (Azerbaijan & something else), but I didn’t really “get” them.

Anyway, so here’s India’s:

autumn-020

As always, you can go to the Photo Friday link viewer to see other submissions. Of course, by the time you read this, it’ll be Friday, & you’ll have to check the Garden archives. Whatev.

why do ppl get married anyway?

Posted on by yllwdaisies

So, I was so excited before, I forgot about Prop. 8 in Cali. So, I just checked on it…. & another sigh, but this one isn’t a good one.

Apparently 16,000+ marriages that have occurred in Cali from June 2008 to Nov. 2008 will be invalidated.

I think y’all know how I feel about marriage, same-sex or opposite-sex or used-to-be-opposite-but-now-same-sex. But I thought I’d remind you….

sigh

Posted on by yllwdaisies

Just a relief. I feel relieved. Today is a beautifully, gorgeous, amazing day. It’s 72 & sunny here in gorgeous Cleveland, Ohio. The leaves are amazing shades of oranges, reds, browns, yellows. The sun’s hittin ‘em just right. In my head, it’s like this all over the US of A today. And all over the world!

Also, from Idle, I’ve discovered this, by Mr. Patrick Moberg, a new bookmark of mine:
november-4-2008

I really couldn’t care less what color he or anyone is. But that illustration above did look like it could use a lil color, didn’t it? I hope in the next hundred years, it has all types of different color & sexes & orientations.

But that’s really just secondary. I can just feel that we have now a leader that will steer us forward. I haven’t felt this good about a prezzy since (or before) Bill. I know we are in for great changes.

And wasn’t it Dave Thomas that said “Change is Good”?

I have to admit, I’m kinda excited to see these gals grow up with their puppy in the White House. This is a photo-journalist’s dream. And I know those 2 girls are going to grow up to do something amazing with their lives & for our lives!