With the rise of facebook and twitter, guys like Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey are becoming famous.

We’re all familiar with the old high school stereotypes of Geeks and Jocks.  But, are these guys re-defining what it means to be a Geek?  And is being a Geek now cool?

It certainly seems like the women are lining up for these guys.  Paul Carr recently wrote about the Gold-Digging Women of Silicone Valley.

He explained that as he was searching for the Vanity Fair article about Jack Dorsey, he was surprised at what came up in Google’s predictive search image box.  The number one search term was “jack dorsey girlfriend”.  The same term came up for Mark Zuckerbert, Aaron Patzer and Kevin Rose.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say gold-diggers are impacting the search query.  But based on net worth, I can see why women might be interested in figuring out if these guys have girlfriends!

If nothing else, young Geeks’ futures look bright.  Alexandra Robbins, author of “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth:  Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School” explains that the things that set these kids apart in high school are the same things that make them cool as adults.

So Geeks of the World – Rejoice!  Your time is now.

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You might have heard about Mitt Romney’s speech in Iowa on Tuesday focusing on the economy, most specifically discussing the “prairie fire” of debt that is sweeping across the nation. I think Jonathan Chait was able to sum up the speech rather eloquently:

“It’s hard to wrap your arms around Romney’s argument, because it’s an amalgamation of free-floating conservative rage and anxiety, completely untethered to any facts, as agreed upon by the relevant experts.”

For all candidate Romney’s claims of being so sure-handed with economic issues, it’s startling how little he, or really most conservatives, seem to understand the deficit numbers over the last 3 1/2 years.

Jonathan Cohn over at The New Republic also lit into Romney’s speech, focusing on the content of the speech and how Romney blames high unemployment on Obama’s economic policies, namely, his “spending spree.” As Cohn says, “Note the way Romney establishes cause and effect here: Obama’s contribution to higher deficits are the reason more people can’t get work and more seniors can’t make ends meet right now. This is an audacious claim and, while I’m no economist, I’m pretty sure it places Romney on the outer edges of the debate among mainstream scholars.” Cohn is right. The current causes of our deficit have actually little to do with the unemployment rate, if anything at all. Romney seems to be suggesting that if the government didn’t have so much debt then the government would be free to spend more to stimulate the economy and get people back to work, which is antithetical to the modern Republican party. Either that or Romney’s logic veers toward the idea that with less government debt, then corporations and entrepreneurs (those heralded “job creators”) will have “confidence” in the market and start investing again. This is what Europe (led by Germany’s Angela Merkel and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy) sought to do in the European Union. Harsh austerity measures were enacted to reduce government debt and that would restore confidence in the markets for businesses to start investing once again. But as we reported 2 weeks ago, Europe is facing record unemployment and many countries have dipped back into recession due to these austerity measures. As Paul Krugman notes, the “confidence fairy” is dead. It’s very unlikely lower debt would actually lead to spurred investment and lower unemployment. In fact, Europe is a prime example of just the opposite. Less government debt doesn’t give the middle and lower classes more purchasing power. And it’s a lack of consumer spending that is keeping companies from growing right now.

But even if you want to accept the premise that higher debts have hurt our economy then you must take a hard look at where exactly this debt is coming from. Romney is claiming that Obama and the Democrats are on a spending spree, while wholly ignoring the actual causes of our debt “crisis.”

What has been common Republican lore over the past year is how President Obama has amassed over $5 trillion in debt. This is a remarkable number considering all Presidents from George Washington to George Bush ‘The Sequel’ accumulated $10 trillion in debt total. In essence, as Fox News is often want to say, and lemming Romney is quick to repeat, over Obama’s 3+ years in office, he has amassed about 1/2 the total national debt as every other President before him – combined. That’s “untethered” from any factual basis as seen in the lovely chart to your right. It’s clear that the policies of the last administration have been the single largest contributor to our rapidly growing debt. Since 2009, war, the Bush Tax Cuts, and the recession have lead to about $1 trillion of new debt every year. So, even if John McCain had won the 2008 election, we’d still have accumulated nearly $3 trillion in debt. Of course, Obama added nearly $1 trillion in stimulus spending, which by most honest measures saved an estimated 2-4 million jobs from being cut, which would have further cut into tax revenues and might have expounded the debt problem even further.

What the administration has failed to do so far is control the message of where our debt has come from. They’re allowing conservatives to parrot this ridiculous claim of the President’s “out of control” spending, and then when Obama’s team does push back, the narrative shifts to the blame game: “The President blames all his problems on the last guy and isn’t taking responsibility.” But if the deficit is the real problem, as Romney claims, and the deficit is clearly the fault of our last President, then yes, it is George Bush’s fault that the economy has yet to recover. Romney, and conservatives, can’t have it both ways.

You can follow Jason on his blog at http://bighumanwind.blogspot.com

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Peppercom was founded on a central philosophy: They wanted to be in the business of understanding their clients’ business. They have also evolved into an admired firm that thinks outside the box when it comes to servicing their clients’ needs. There is no better example of this then their use of strand up comedy and humor.

Mike Bako of Inside Communications goes inside with Steve Cody, Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Peppercom, and Clayton Fletcher.

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I knew I would marry David when I saw him holding my nephew in the hospital two years ago.  We had rushed down to Maryland from New York on a Friday night, arguing along the way (I didn’t think he was driving fast enough) and when I met my nephew I realized there was a part of my heart that had never been used before.  The love I felt for that tiny baby was like nothing I could have imagined.  David refused to hold him that night because he said he didn’t want to bring the stress of the day upon the baby. But the next day when I saw my giant lovebug holding my precious nephew, I realized how much I loved him too. And that I definitely wanted to have a family with him.

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There is so much pressure on people to be in committed long-term relationships or marriages. And there are just as many so-called love and dating experts out there to show you the way. And while their intentions are good, they reinforce the message that if you’re single, you’re missing out—that somehow your life is not whole and complete until you find that special one.

So if you’re single and longing for that special relationship, listen up. I’m about to shatter all the fairytale beliefs about long-term committed relationships. I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you or your life. I want to liberate you from all the hype. I want you to enjoy your single years.

Here are 5 truths about long-term committed relationships.

1. They get boring. At times you will be bored with your mate, your sex life, your home life, your life together. Sometimes you are simply not that into him and what’s more, sometimes he is not that into you. Sometimes this can last for minutes or hours; other times, it can last for months or years.
2. They can hold you back—from your dreams, your potential, your goals. It can become easy to hide out in long-term relationships; forgoing your independence and drive to reach your potential and take risks in going for your dreams. Your partner may become stagnant as well.
3. Your feelings will get hurt. You will be disappointed.  You will be challenged.  Relationships require vulnerability; intimacy demands it. Long-term committed relationships will always provide opportunities to deal with your insecurities, fears, and wounds.
4. They get messy. People get sick, have smelly flatulence, become wrinkled, have mood swings, go through menopause, and become impotent. Being in a long-term committed relationship means you take the bad with the good. Some messes will be worse than others and sometimes you will need to clean them up all by yourself.
5. You have to share all the time. You need to share your personal space, your home, and your resources and make decisions accordingly. Your ability to make independent decisions on how to flex and adapt your life to internal and external circumstances is affected by the need to take another person into consideration. You move in pairs or family units. This requires more cooperation and time to organize your efforts and implement decisions.

While it may appear I have a cynical view on long-term relationships, this is far from the truth. My work is all about helping people create powerful and intimate relationships. So before you go ahead and start writing those comments, I want you to know that I support both singles and couples. In reality, I can list as many positives as negatives to either status. The point I want to make is that there is not one ideal way to live your life. Each side of the fence has its challenges and rewards. For every life, there will be a time to be single and a time to be coupled.  Regardless of which side of the fence you currently stand, count your blessings. Enjoy the benefits and remember, the grass is not greener over there, it is simply another location.

All kidding aside, I would love to hear your feedback. So please, comment away!  This is a great conversation to have and I invite all of you to chime in. If you find yourself struggling in singlehood or couplehood, I’m here to help. For a private consultation, contact me via email or call at 310-379-5855 or 1-888-99PATHS.

Be well,

Julie

Julie Orlov, psychotherapist, speaker, and author of The Pathway to Love: Create Intimacy and Transform Your Relationships through Self-Discovery

Retrieve Your FREE Relationship Assessment Quiz and see if YOUR Relationship is on track at www.julieorlov.com

Create Relationships in Your Life That Work — learn more at www.julieorlov.com

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I recently stumbled upon this book on the discount shelf titled, “Big Green Purse: Use your spending power to create a cleaner, greener world.” Ms. Diane MacEachern has created an enormous collection, within this book, of very important information about everyday “green” life opportunities and aspects. I love her application to her daily life and the many different options she offers to help everyone decrease their footprints…. I have been buying local food for awhile now, but I definitely feel like its time to take the next step. This book gives good information about the type of things I can buy local, what type of products I should and should not be using, etc.

The most disturbing, and eye opening chapter for me was Chpt 3: Beauty… or the beast? Cosmetics and Personal Care Products. I know that I should have realized, but I guess I just never put much thought into my hygiene products. Why would I not put any thought in it? They are on my body constantly, they are in my hair, in my mouth, all over me, Agh! Here are some fun hygiene product facts… enjoy!

• Of the thirty six different ingredients in Revlon ColorStay lipstick, thirteen have not been assessed for safety by the cosmetics industry. Many of these chemicals have been linked to immune system problems and breast cancer (only 10% of breast cancers have been linked to smoking and heredity, these chemicals may be the other 90)
• A product use survey of twenty three hundred men and women conducted by the Environmental Working Group showed that more than a quarter of all women use at least FIFTEEN products daily.
• 89% of the 10,500 ingredients used in lipstick, nail polish, hair coloring, soap, etc have not been evaluated for safety.
• Many brands of nail polish contain dibutyl phthalate (DBP) which increases polish flexibility but also is suspected of interfering with our endocrine system. The endocrine system is involved in cell growth, organ function, development, and reproduction. It is banned from cosmetics in Europe, and is considered a reproductive toxin by the state of California. (3 brands do not contain DBP: Sally Hansen, Orly International, and OPI)
• Phthalates (commonly used in personal care products) appear to feminize the reproductive organs of baby boys, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

This isnt even the half of it. But anyways, this has really given me a swift kick in the ass to change my hygiene buying habits.

1. I have switched my toothpaste to Tom’s of Maine. This one was an easy switch because its super convenient to find and the taste differences wasn’t too abrasive. They also have mouth washes and many more products.
2. I have also been blessed with the ability to not have the need to wear deodorant, I did occasionally, but now I am off the stuff. If I really do feel the need at some point in my life to have it again, I might try Tom’s as well.
3. Burt’s Bees was also not a switch I had to make, they have wonderful products and they are super easy to get. I may try their make-up down the road.
4. I switched out all my lotion to this wonderful, Oregon-made lotion called Wild Carrot. Not only is it Oregon, but its pretty dang close to Eugene. Also, fragrances are extremely harmful as well, so I chose one that used essential oils. This one was scented using Oregon lavender.
5. I also get bar soap from a woman who makes them in town
6. Uncle Harry’s Natural Products is a pretty awesome source. I use their lavender or almond body and hair wash and the peppermint body and hand wash (leaves you feeling all tingly). I love this too, because Sundance (my local grocer) has big refilling stations for Uncle Harry’s Products. Oh, another plus, they are located in Washington. That is pretty close. 
7. Another nice one is the Oregon Soap Company. They have nice bar soaps like Oatmeal Honey and Cinnamon Aloe. They are Certified Organic and from Portland.
8. The last thing I did (well I have been thinking about doing this for a long time and actually did it before I read this book…) is buy reusable, organic feminine pads from Luna Pads. Normal feminine products can cause  horrible illnesses like Toxic Shock Syndrome and other not so serious, but pretty horrible things as well. Also, most pads and tampons are bleached and come from pesticide filled cotton, and you want me to stick that where? No thanks. So happy I got my luna pads, they are real easy. There is one part that attaches to the underwear and another piece that slips into the bands. Again, I have been blessed with a nice Aunt Flo, so I only purchased one pad per day. I also purchased a vinyl bag, you fill it with soap and water and let the pads soak. Clean the water everyday, and at the end of the week, or during laundry day, you can just throw them in with the rest of the clothes. Viola. Oh, the pad on the far right was purchased in town kind of as a trial run. I do not like it as much as the luna pads, but I do like to support a local lady (can be purchased at Sundance).

I know a lot of these things arent local, but I am working at first making the healthier switch, and searching for more nearby options. I am happy to be making this switch. Hopefully Shane can deal with my craziness and accept that if he sticks with me he will live to be 150 years old! Ha!

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With the wacky adventures we have experienced the last few weeks, it is only appropriate that it would be time to catch our breathe. How much has and hasn’t changed in past few weeks has brought the Mad Men Universe into full circle.

It would only been right to begin with Peggy. By the end of 1965, she was on her way to unimaginable dreams. Peggy was the fastest rising star in the new Sterling Cooper Draper Price office. It is only right we started to witness a new side of Peggy. One growing resentful of her lack of opportunities. The sweet innocent girl from Brooklyn who went through a nightmare pregnancy in season one rebounded into Don Draper’s star secretary. Now she is the star of the creative department. With Don lack of focus on work and ever shifting personal life, Peggy has become the center of the creative department. Her work has become the standard for new office and is drawing personal praise incentives from the likes of Roger Sterling. Not all is smooth at sail. Peggy’s drive at work has caused her to ignore her personal life, constantly in conflict with  Abe and her mother. When Abe and Peggy can’t figure out where to take their relationship, they move in to ease the tension, much to the chagrin of her mother. With this toll, she is now at odds with Don over his absence. He is also a bad influence on his Megan, grabbing her out of important work for his sexapades. Peggy is overwhelmed and feels the pressure on her back. It also doesn’t help that Michael Ginsberg (played by a neurotic Ben Feldman from Cloverfield) is suddenly becoming a shining star amongst seniority. This of course has very little to do with his talent, and much to do with his heritage. Don constantly ignores Michael’s hissy fits and thinks very little of him, but holds him in regard amongst the higher ranks. Roger Sterling and Bert Cooper use him on a conservative Jewish family account to great avail. Creating an campaign that pleases the clients also comes to Roger’s benefit.

Roger, who is suddenly living an epiphany, is realizing his flaws. After going on an LSD trip, through the power of opera singing vodka bottle, realizes the past decade has almost been a wash. He is remarried in a loveless union. He and Jane are constantly at odds After the trip and a beautifully acted scene by John Slattery in the following morning, he realizes he should return to the single life. He starts his journey back by easing terms with his ex-wife Mona (which includes a conversation about his wonderful trip), receiving pleasures from Megan’s mother in the backroom of a cocktail ball. Roger continues to selfishly use Jane to promote business, even if it costs him to buy a new apartment for her. Pleasing potential Jewish clients, he brings along his Jewish “wife” to show his openness to gaining business. After the party, he takes Jane back to her new place and destroys any chance of her for a smooth transition to the rest of her life. Whether he is experiencing another midlife crisis or cleansing, the world is in Roger’s hand and he may have a final chance to take control.

The strangest journey has been a ride with Don Draper. Trying to find inner peace, we are watching a creepy and less suave Don grow old. He was the golden child a decade ago, but times are changing. Don no longer understands how to capitalize or acknowledge the change in youth culture. The music and counterculture are a polar opposite to his views. He tried early on with Midge to understand the fascinations of this society. When the relationship feel through Don just feel farther away from the changes. Marrying Megan almost seemed as if it could bring a youthful spark for Don. Instead it has shown his obsessive need for control. While she enjoys his company and support, Don is shoving his life into hers. Taking her away from work when for his pleasure without regard for the work of the creative team estranges his relationship with his creative team. When he takes Megan on a trip upstate, it becomes evident he is trying to shove his ways onto her through a cup of Orange Sherbet down her throat. As the relationship becomes more hectic, Megan’s father reminds her she was once ambitious. She immediate quits SCDP to return to the theater she once imagined she would grace. Returning to the life of a starving actress with the perfect home life she imagines may not be her paradise, but is allowing her to grow into her own woman. Whether her feeling might become more apparent about this arraignment after a chat with an old rehearsing partner, she may not be ready to give up the charmed life.

One of my favorite characters has exemplified the amounts of growth Mad Men delivers in story and character. Sally Draper has grown from innocent little daughter to a maturing teenage girl caught in a nasty divorce. Having to separate families with her sibling, her journey to adulthood is getting rocky. She is stuck between different role models who leave her with mixed messages. After Henry Francis’ mother accidental fall causes her to spend time at the Draper residence during a visit from Megan’s parents, Sally is caught up in the adult world. She pleased to be involved in an actual formal event, Sally is accompanied by Roger, but everything quickly unfolds when she catches Megan’s mother in a sexual act with Roger, leaving little left to her imagination. She is growing up and seeing that Betty is no angel of a mother and Don is halfway role model. Learning about Anna and Don’s past through a school project shows her the lack of respect and attention she is given. Her relationship with Megan, who has tried to open up to her, is strained as Megan tries to be a motherly figure to her, but is not old enough to be her actual mother. It is strange time she is caught in, and the change into the new era can only also be detrimental to her as she grows older.

As for the rest of the world of Mad Men, we are watching Pete recalculate Don’s old mistakes. Trying to have his cake (great job, house, wife and kid), adding ice cream on top (seeking a mistress) and eat it all for one dessert is a bit much. When Pete is outcharmed by a younger man for a teenage girl, he takes his emptiness to a wife of an acquaintance whose infidelities Pete is caught between. As quick as Beth is in his life for a night, she tries to get out. Pete on the other hand tries to force his way back. Going on a “business” dinner to their home, he tries to convince Beth to continue on their affair, although she rejects. This leads him to lust and dream of her. Never being one for reality, Pete is still trying to live the life of a prince, only to be caught in the world of the pauper he once blackmailed, Dick Whitman. Joan is now single again, but has switched the focus in her life to work. Enjoying her time back, she is enjoying being observant in the agency instead being a player. Betty is now on a quest to lose the weight she suddenly gained, and gets caught trying to dissolve Megan and Sally’s relationship. After informing Sally of Anna, Don’s first wife, Betty tries to come out looking like a saint. When she blames Megan for not informing her, Sally takes her rage out on the Drapers. Once she realizes it her mother’s plan, Sally quickly takes Megan’s acting lessons to heart and spins it back on Betty. If Don is out of touch with the new generation, then Betty’s behavior only signifies that she is out of conscious in the coming era.

We are nearing the end of another spectacular season. With very little time left, much is left to be resolved. With the agency in the background, it has been a very character driven season. To see a change in time and landscape has brought out day and night in the Mad Men world. What is to become in these walls as all hell is about to break loose in America. The loveable yet reckless Mad Men (and women) who shined for the better part of the decade are now becoming archaic. Much has changed and it can only get drastic with the fewer number of familiar faces we see

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This week of no meat has been fulfilling and just plain filling. I spent about half as much at the grocery store this week and felt fuller most days. I have been experimenting with lots of different grains and bean main dishes. One of my favorite dishes of all time is falafel. There is just so much freshness mixed with so much comfort in these little delights, I can’t help myself. And, little did I know, they are so easy to make.

Megan’s Falafel Extraordinaire (this makes about 2 cookie sheets worth, this is a lot, enough to freeze, so cut in half if you only want some for a meal)

4 c soaked and boiled garbanzos/chickpeas
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley (or 2 T dried)
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice and olive oil until right consistency

Directions:

Falafels are so easy I have no idea why I waited so long to try. Put the garbanzos in the food processor, process until fine and grainy. Add the parsley, spices, onion, and garlic. Process until mixed. Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice and add either olive oil or broth until it reaches a workable consistency to shape the balls. Shape the mush into a cookie-like ball. Put on cookie sheet with parchment and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until slightly crisp on top. At this point you can either (a) eat them like this, (b) freeze/refrigerate them, or (c) pan fry them with a little bit of oil to get that nice crispy edge. I like to serve on pita with cabbage, carrot, and cilantro. Top with a dill+yogurt+salt+pepper mix.

The multitude of non-wheat grains has also been a wonderful addition to my diet. Buckwheat, oat groats, rye berries, teff grain, all wonderful, nutty, rich, and flavorful. My breakfasts have been consisting of oat groats, berries, nuts, and cinnamon. Or when I am feeling ambitious, I’ll make a cobbler: canned peaches, apples, canned plums + cobbler top of ground oat groats, ground flax seed, rough ground hazelnuts, raw honey, little whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and melted butter to barely pull it together. Sprinkle on top and bake for about 20 minutes at 350. So simple and delicious. Also good fresh out, cold, or with nut milk the next day.

My DIY moment of the week, was making my own Rayzen Brann. I love the idea of taking something that people think they have to buy, and making it at home with a fraction of the ingredients. This cereal can also easily be gluten-full or gluten-free.

Home Made No Additive Good Old “Raisin Bran”

1 c fine flour (like buckwheat, whole wheat, amaranth, anything really fine)
1 c course flour (like teff grains, processed oats)
1 c nut flour (hazelnuts, almonds, walnut, etc)
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 c milk
1/2 c water
2 T-1/4 c honey or brown sugar (I prefer to heat up raw sugar and pour in)
Any spice you want: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, etc

Gather all ingredients and mix together. Bam! That easy

Roll out (1/4 mixture at a time) between parchment and plastic wrap. You must use parchment and plastic wrap because this stuff is sticky (I made the mistake of using wax paper and baked completely inedible flakes). Roll out until almost transparent.

Bake at 350 until leathery. Let cool. Once cool, tear into bran sized flakes, and bake again at 275 until crisp.

Once the flakes are dry and cooled. You can add nuts and fruit. I added dried blueberries and chopped hazelnuts, then doused with a little bit of cinnamon.

So tasty.

I still do not plan on being a vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, raw foodist, or any of the rest, but I am loving these grains, lentils, and beans. Cant wait to share these little beauties at the Food Swap tonight and bring home some tasties for myself. I’ll report back soon and let y’all know about my Food Swap booty!

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It wasn’t a surprising outcome. With a week before the official vote, polls showed overwhelming support of the amendment. So, on Tuesday, when North Carolinians stepped out of the voting booths, it was pretty clear what the outcome would be. After today, marriage would only be recognized between one man and one woman. North Carolina became the 30^th State to ban gay marriage. It would be remiss to state this as unprecedented. Maybe, though, this was the wakeup call needed for the unexcited, disillusioned liberals.

I woke up this morning with my inbox flooded with PAC, nonprofit, and grassroots email blasts excoriating North Carolina for passing Amendment 1, a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman. Facebook was replete with posts and links pertaining to the vote, but not from the usual suspects. People tending to shy away from political opinions on their feeds were up-in-arms over the vote, casting shame on the voters in North Carolina who supported the amendment. On Twitter and news sites, it was much of the same from liberals and Democrats. But something may have happened last night that’s bigger than North Carolina. With just six months prior to the election, a swath of young voters no longer “energized” behind President Obama and, by extension, Democrats across the country running for office, may now see one man cannot make all the difference. They must be active. Voters, you must be engaged.

The issue of gay marriage highlights perfectly the disheartened sect of democratic voters with the President. During the 2008 campaign, then-candidate Obama proclaimed a sturdy acceptance of equal marriage rights and a promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But since his election, the President has softened on his strong support for marriage equality, his campaign staff defensively claiming his “evolution” on the matter of gay marriage. This is strictly a political move by the President, one that he hopes will pull some independents and maybe moderate conservatives his way before the election, though it’s caused a rift in the liberal base (despite his kept promise of repealing DODT). What has happened over 3 years is that the President made wide-sweeping promises during his campaign, aiming high, and only finding he can reach the middle unless congressional allies can help him. Liberals are disappointed that all the things he promised have yet to come true. But liberals have only themselves to blame.

They sat on the sidelines in Massachusetts after Ted Kennedy passed away and Republicans elected conservative Scott Brown into his Senate seat, effectively guaranteeing health-care reform’s failure. Then the midterm elections rolled through and liberal voters sat back as a Tea Party coalition of far-right candidates were swept into office, effectively jeopardizing much of Obama’s campaign priorities. Do you think government should be more proactive in regards to the economy by increasing spending? Not with conservative deficit-hawks and “austerity” Republicans in the House and Senate. You want strong Wall Street reform? Tough, you let Republicans water down Dodd-Frank. You want higher taxes on the rich? Sorry, Republicans have all signed (non-elected official) Grover Norquist’s tax pledge to never, never raise taxes on the wealthy. You want better funding for public education, health care, parks? Too bad! Republicans want to slash the budgets on all of those things to give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. You want equal protection under the law for women, gays, lesbians, transgender, hell, any minority (!!)? Sorry to break it to ya, none of that will happen with a Congress controlled by neo-cons who view their God’s law as more important than your rights.

“I think it sends a message to the rest of the country that marriage is between one man and one woman,” said Tami Fitzgerald, head of the pro-Amendment 1 group Vote FOR Marriage NC. “The whole point is simply that you don’t rewrite the nature of God’s design based on the demands of a group of adults.” In other words, the rights of the minority are at the whims of the (Christian) majority.

But, statistical trends show that Ms. Fitzgerald does not speak for the rest of the country, which for the first time in our history is on the side of equal marriage rights for LGBT individuals. I do agree with Ms. Fitzgerald: North Carolina very likely did send a message to the rest of the country, just not the message she was hoping for. Judging by the reaction, last night’s outcome seems a plausible alarm for liberals to get excited about this election, or they can certainly expect more of the same after November.

“We have courage like we never had before,” said Jeremy Kennedy of Protect All NC Families, a group opposed to Amendment 1, “and we have strength to carry on.”

I think, I can only hope, the true “silent majority” is finally awake.

You can follow Jason at his blog: http://bighumanwind.blogspot.com

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Honeymoon – word origin and history

1546, hony moone, but probably much older, from honey in reference to the new marriage’s sweetness, and moon in reference to how long it would probably last, or from the changing aspect of the moon: no sooner full than it begins to wane.

One thing you’ll learn about my husband is that he is pretty agreeable. He will smile and nod much of the time and he has tremendous patience (clearly, he married me). His strong opinions are few and far between, so when present I try to oblige. During wedding planning he requested ownership of the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon. My inability to let go of anything made it slightly challenging, but both of these were all him.

The honeymoon was supposed to be a surprise, but one day I received an email confirming our honeymoon registry. I could have ignored this email and not clicked on the link to see where we were going, but that wasn’t going to happen. Turns out he picked Antigua! We were booked for a Sandals vacation in Antigua!  Perfect for both of us – he would be able to sip fruity cocktails and lay on the beach, and I would be able to explore a new country. Plus, the resort was adults only and all inclusive. Perfect.

Our second flight to Antigua from Miami was filled with newlyweds. The number of recently married couples aboard that plane was ridiculous. It felt like I had entered the twilight zone of French manicures, bejeweled bridal tank tops, fake tans and personalized canvas bags. My fear that our honeymoon would be a grown up version of high school was coming true! Would I have to try to be friends with this people? I heard stories of people meeting new best friends on a honeymoon and I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. Would they be staying at our resort? Would that girl with the annoying ‘bun’ on top of her head continue making the face that everything in the world disgusts her? Would we be the oldest newlyweds there? All of my 15-year old insecurities showed up to the party and the answer to all of these questions was a solid YES.

The buses to the resort were filled with the same newlyweds and they were in the spa, at the pools and in the restaurants. The tramp stamps and giant diamonds outnumbered the fish in the ocean and I do believe many of them were asked for their ID at the bar. But as always, we found people to connect with – the older couples celebrating anniversaries, the staff members coordinating the contests (one of which we won!), and the couples who actually continued eating food during their engagement.

We learned a lot about each other and ourselves on our honeymoon. My husband learned that on vacation I enjoy waking up at sunrise. I learned that he did not. He learned that after a day trip filled with rum punch I turned into ‘college Reesa’. I learned that I am too old to drink rum punch all day.  He learned to snorkel. I learned how to play chess. We both learned that at the end of a couples’ massage they clasp your hands together and it is not the masseuse awkwardly hand holding. We learned that going to the gym while eating and drinking nonstop will not make a difference in potential weight gain. And we learned that Antiguan hot sauce burns.

All in all, we had an amazing trip – the food, entertainment, activities and drinks were fantastic. We were able to go on a few excursions to see the country, and spent plenty of time reading and relaxing by the pool. It was great fun! The sweetness in our marriage was at an all-time high and the moon had yet to wane (except for that incident during the kayak trip)…we were indeed honeymooners.

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