Upright & Stowed

She's So Ghetto

I've always loved the insane creativity of ghetto names.   In fact last year I suggested that my friends Howard and Laura name their son Uniqua.  Alas, they chose David.  Given my enjoyment of crazy baby naming, you'll understand why the above YouTube video has had me laughing out loud for days.  Genius.

A Rose Calls

Hope springs eternal, and spring springs hope.  Hope for warmer days.  Hope for sun on weekends. Hope that you get to keep your job that suddenly doesn't seem as bad as it used to.  Hope for a little lovin.'  And hope that life will keep things interesting.

This is a picture of my first rose plant.  I bought it at a nursery in Jersey this weekend (along with $375 of soil, pots, plants and other goodies to make my deck beautiful), and I can't wait to take care of it and make it bloom.  It's what I'm most hopeful about right now.  In fact, I think this little rose is going to be my beacon of good things to come.  Happy spring!

The Sound of Antwerp

I know nothing of Antwerp.  But if this video is any indication of how clever, campy and creative the city is, I'm on my way.  (Hat tip to Lee for sending this my way).

Look What's Landing at LGA

That's right.  Finally, after all these years, Southwest is set to begin flying into the capital of the Northeast (and the world), New York City.  My fervent wish is for nonstop flights to St. Louis and to Albuquerque.  Alas, she'll only be making no-stoppers to Chicago Midway and BWI.  Still, it's a start.

I LoVermont

The economy sucks and I lose about an hour of sleep every night worrying about every element of my life.  You know what I have to say to me?  Get the f-ck over yourself! 

Why?

Because we have the most kick-ass President in decades.  We are regaining our moral footing as a country.  We will survive this recession.  My life is full of friends and a loving family.  And both Iowa and Vermont have legalized gay marriage in the past week!!!!

God bless Vermont.  Nine years ago the state led the country forward in recognizing the simple right of gay people to love one another and to be afforded the same rights the state affords straight people who do.  Now, in a brilliant move, Vermont not only legalized gays' right to marry, it overrode a bigoted, close-minded veto of a Republican (aka: selfish) governor to pass the law. 

Oh happy day.  Let love live!

I-O-W-A

I grew up in Missouri.  But an entire branch of my family – my Ginsberg cousins – live in Iowa.  This is a picture taken at an Alport family reunion in 2006 featuring many of my Iowa clan.  Last year Iowa led the nation on the great journey that culminated in the election President Barack Obama.  Today, the Iowa Supreme Court moved the nation one step closer to the inevitable recognition that gay and lesbian people deserve the same rights as all others in this country.  Laws banning gays and lesbians from anything are wrong.  In Iowa.  In Missouri.  In New York. And everywhere else.  Below are the words of the decision,  unanimously declared by the members of the Iowa Supreme Court.

We are firmly convinced the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective. The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification. There is no material fact, genuinely in dispute, that can affect this determination.

We have a constitutional duty to ensure equal protection of the law. Faithfulness to that duty requires us to hold Iowa’s marriage statute, Iowa Code section 595.2, violates the Iowa Constitution. To decide otherwise would be an abdication of our constitutional duty. If gay and lesbian people must submit to different treatment without an exceedingly persuasive justification, they are deprived of the benefits of the principle of equal protection upon which the rule of law is founded. Iowa Code section 595.2 denies gay and lesbian people the equal protection of the law promised by the Iowa Constitution.