ch ch ch ch changes

Things are rockin' in my world. I'm looking for new career options. This economy is really taking it's toll - less new students and more people pulling out because of financial woes. So many people have either lost jobs or had hours cut way back.

I just got certified to be a tax preparer and will have the opportunity to make some extra dough doing taxes this season. I've come to realize that this is just a band aid for my own financial difficulties so I just got the process started in hopes of becoming a sheriff's deputy. It takes 5-6 months to go through the whole hiring process and get accepted into the academy but I passed the written test, the pre-screen application, and oral interview. I'm staring at a 17 page application and background check. After that comes physical, psychological, fitness and polygraph tests. There is lots to do but if I'm successful I'll have an exciting career, with good pay and great benefits. I'm going to keep my martial arts studio up and running with the help of my office manager and instructors.

My friend Joy passed away. She'd been battling cancer for the last few years. It was an huge gift to me to know and love this amazing woman. I learned things from her and how she lived her life that will be with me forever. I don't think she realized how terrific she was. I know I will think of her every time I go out for a hike. She loved hiking and loved talking and she could do both well at the same time. Bye for now Joy.

My son turns 20 next week. Yeah 20! He's an incredible young man. My daughter celebrated her sweet 16 last month. As for her, she's ready to take on the world it seems. I love and admire them both very much.

Don't believe what you see

You know, I think of myself as a fairly educated person - somewhat self aware - not a pushover - not too trusting - but not too cynical either. I try to go for balance in my life whenever possible.

There was a protest march last night through my town. A couple thousand people showed up to protest the recent ballot measure that took away the rights of same sex couple to marry in our "fair" state. Em, myself, her two kids and another friend decided to go together. It was AMAZING! All these people walking together, chanting together, being cheered on by hundreds more on the sides of the street. There were really great signs. One couple, two women, held up a sign that said "Our love can not be invalidated!" As I got closer, I realized that it was written on a blown up copy of their recent marriage certificate.

People were very cooperative. At first the organizers asked us to walk on the sidewalks, but the police gave us an escort allowing us full use of the street and they an the organizers did a great job of letting cross traffic move along. Respectful is a word I'd have to use here. It ended up downtown and again, the vibe was a good one. People were definitely protesting but there was not this huge hateful, angry mob vibe. There were news vans there and I was thinking, All right! Some publicity!

Later that evening, maybe 11:30 pm or so, em and I had been hearing cheering and honking so we walked/ran to a busy intersection nearby. I'd say about 60 people were still out with their signs on the street corners and cars passing by were honking in support. It was all peaceful there. Even a police car went by without stopping to complain. Everyone was just pumped from this great rally and didn't want to go home yet.

So I get home and watch the news coverage of the event on the internet. Some of it was so skewed that I was yelling at the computer screen. They took footage of the very end where the police had to finally demand that the protesters get off the streets. Apparently there were a few arrests. Very few protesters were still there because it was 4 hours after the march began. So on some of the local news shows this exhilarating event; this really nice protest looked like this highly intensive, uncooperative, rather small band of people refusing to move off the street. That's what some of the media picked for it's coverage. Maybe a few seconds of the big peaceful group but focusing on the other. I was sooo pissed. How often do I, myself, form opinions of an event or a group based on news-type information. So what message does this send about us, the gay community?

Here's the LA Times story this morning. Just at least go and look at the picture they decided to open with. An I think of the Times as a fairly liberal paper! It isn't till the very end that they mention that the event was overwhelmingly peaceful. I just started crying. What the fuck does the word "NEWS" even mean? What sources do we have to get any information that's remotely truthful? Those bastard supporters of this Proposition are probably saying to themselves, "See, this is what we're saving our children from" and their feeling all justified and self rightious. God damnit! Tears are flowing as I write now. I react this way to being treated unfairly.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

My ever so slightly rose colored glasses have been smashed to smithereens. You fucking can not believe a lot of what you see and hear; especially when what you see and hear is controlled by ANYONE else.