The soul has greater need of the ideal than the real for it is by the real that we exist, it is by the ideal that we live

Monday, November 10, 2008

A Few Things

I was planning some travel this holiday season, but that all has to be canceled now.

I won't spend money in California, Arkansas, Florida, nor Arizona. Unfortunately I had travel planned to three of the four in the next 60 days, so I'm re-thinking my plans.

When canceling my reservations I made sure that the person I talked to understood why I was canceling. It was of course, Prop 8, Amendment 102,the anti-gay adoption law, and whatever they called hate this time in Florida.

I love California, I loved living there and I'd go back given the opportunity, but not while Prop 8 exists.

I had planned to visit a friend in Arkansas this month and I'll be letting her know this week that I am not coming back to that place as long as they won't let gay people be adoptive parents.

I was also planning my annual trip to Florida for the New Year. Not this year folks.

I find that the people of this country will only really listen to you when you start flashing money around, and particularly if you then tell them they can't have any of yours if they're mean to you. Well they were damn mean and I'm spending my money elsewhere. Preferably in Blue States.

Unfortunately I don't have a blue state close by, so I'll be spending Thanksgiving money here. I think I'll just stay home and ride horses all week.

Christmas is something of a puzzle. I may go back to New Mexico like last year, but NOT Santa Fe...too foofy(sp? I need the screenplay to Parting Glances). Perhaps Taos, if the ski season isn't too oppressive. But since there's already snow on the ground I fear they'll be in full swing by then.

And New Years. Well, I can't decide what to do about that one yet. Not too many people, and not too far are my requirements.

I'm fighting thoughts of segregation. I'm so fed up with straight people who tell me how much they love me and then fuck me when it's time for me to be counted as someone who matters in the eyes of the law. This was brought on when I read a post over at Proceed at your own risk in which Richard Rothstein mentioned an old friend who had joined a militant gay group in the 70's which required he end all contact with straights. What a nice concept. No more bullshit from them. But a bit too limiting for me. Besides the poor things need to be taught what's right and their churches and families certainly aren't doing that. So there must be a voice of reason, of humanity, of equality, which even though it may be barely perceptible, or may even be silent, cause sometimes people only learn by example, it still has to be out there.

And I think I'd be denying myself a whole laundry list of experiences by ridding myself of the scourge of straight people. It might be nice to live in that world where only gay people exist and the occasional bitch fight is the only strife in the world. Alas, straight people get a whole lot of shit free that I can make use of and certainly examples of that it makes it too difficult to drop them all.

If they can be as easily swayed as they've been these past eight years, they shouldn't take too much convincing to make them see how wrong it all was.

And yes,I forgot to take my anti-delusional meds today, sorry. But I'll stay out here on the plain, at least for now, and keep fighting the good fight. Someone has to teach them. Who better than a jaded, bitter, cynic who refuses to admit defeat? In the end, tenacity may be the thing that wins out.

I have to mention before I go that I had a blast this weekend with horses. Saturday was a bit nipply with the awful wind, and I only managed to get the girls to go out for an hour, particularly after one of them took a spill before we'd left the driveway. Her horse was a green-broke two year old who objected to the notion of crossing the street and deposited her rider on the ground without much adieu. So understandably, they were reluctant to stay out too long, AND they were cold. Sunday though was heavenly.

We took out four good horses for a fun ride and were out almost three hours. Very shortly after we returned, and just as I was contemplating the nap I planned to take when I got home, a car pulled in and four people got out. They had that corn-fed tight-assed look of first time riders everywhere and I just knew they'd been forgotten. So after greeting them and ascertaining the fact that yes, indeed they were there for a ride, I made the call to the stable owners who were, shall we say, suddenly harried. Especially since I'd woken them from a nap with this news.

So I sent the other two crash-test dummies out to get two of our easiest horses, since these people had either never ridden or not ridden in over ten years, and then I caught up two myself from the other pasture. When the owners arrived we had three of them already saddled and they helped us finish it all off with the remaining three. Apologies were profusely proffered to the riders and off we went for another hour. No nap for me.

But it was great fun. I took a horse who is no challenge at all to ride, she knows exactly what to do and is a willing partner, so I had a good time and was able to keep an eye on the riders. I did however forget my gloves...shit. Thankfully we stayed low and out of the worst of the wind.

There won't be too many weekends like that one left this year so it was great.


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