Lolcats and Happy Thoughts
There is always a smile waiting for me at Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures. Here are just a few of my recent favorites:
Deal Breakers
Every relationship has a list of deal breakers… a specific set of do’s and don’t's that are grounds for an immediate ending.
Last week, Rodney broke one of our deals and it was a big one in my book. So I ended things.
I asked Rodney to go stay with some friends so I’d have time to breathe and process what I was feeling. The next day, I went to my parents’ house here in Illinois so I could get some needed support.
Rodney has asked me to go to counseling with him and I’ve agreed to it. Actually, I’m kind of looking forward to it.
I need to find out what caused this to happen. I also need to find out how to work through this pain. I think this counseling is going to be good all the way around.
The future is uncertain… but isn’t it always? Perhaps we will be able to work this out and be a stronger, happier couple. Or maybe I’ll just never be able to forgive him. If that happens, at least I can say we both tried to fix it.
8 years is a long time to be with someone. It’s worth trying for. I’m just going to take this one day at a time and try to deal with everything with a level head.
Thank you so much for your continued support while I deal with this. It means so much to me and really lifts my spirits!
I will be back in Tennessee on Sunday night and will be seeing Rodney for the first time since it happened. We’re going to do some talking and go from there.
Nothing Lasts Forever
After 8 years, Rodney and I are no longer together. It’s been a wild 24 hours, full of mixed emotions and mood swings. I have a lot to say about it, and over time, I probably will. But right now, it just feels too fragile and too close to the surface to talk about. It also seems disrespectful somehow, so I will keep the details private for now.
Many of you have supported us over the years, offered comfort when we needed it, offered joy when we celebrated a milestone. I really appreciate the support we receive from people I’ve never even had the pleasure of meeting face to face. Thank you for that.
The context and dialog of this site will undoubtedly be changing as I start a new life. I have no idea what the future will bring. There are many open questions to be answered in our lives. No matter what though, and no matter how much it hurts right now, I know that I’ll be okay.
I’m going to Illinois this weekend, so I will be out of pocket for a few days. But I just wanted to put this out there. Talking on my blog is therapeutic, it helps me get things off my chest. So that’s the news.
Vampires In Training
It’s 3AM and I’ve finally convinced Rodney to stay up with me.
I’ve always been a nocturnal person. Even when I was a kid, I would adjust to an evening schedule during the summer when I was out of school. My parents always hated it. They would say “But Nathan, you should get your sleep.” I would try to explain, in the best way a child could, that it makes no difference what time you go to bed as long as you get your rest. Even to this day, they make a big deal about it, and I have no idea why. I get the same amount of sleep as everyone else, just at a different time. Oh, well.
One thing I’ve often wondered is whether or not my schedule is internal, or if it is affected by light. Let’s say I went to a different country where my sleeping patterns aligned with their time zone. For example, I usually go to bed at 6AM here. So what if I went somewhere that would make it 10PM when I went to bed? Would I just stick to my regular schedule, or would I once again re-adjust my sleeping patterns to go to bed when it’s 6AM there? I hope that makes sense. It does in my head.
Anyway, I’ve been trying to convince Rodney to stay up with me, and he wouldn’t go for it. He likes to be an early riser. But I’ve finally convinced him, and little by little, he’s been doing it. Tonight, he proudly announced he was going all the way and staying up until 6AM.
He also admitted that it’s really nice being up late. The world is so quiet and peaceful. You get a lot of work done at night. I would say that everybody should try it, but that would defeat the purpose, now wouldn’t it?
Speaking of nocturnal, we just finished watching Twilight for the second time. I love that movie. I can’t put my finger on why. On the outside, it’s just another vampire themed movie, this time geared at younger audiences. But there’s something so dark and romantic about it. I think everybody loves a good vampire story because of the symbolism behind it. The ability to live forever. The mystery of hiding your true identity. And as with all vampire movies, there is the tragic love story between mortal and immortal.
And besides, I think Robert Pattinson is just dreamy. 
To Grandmother’s House We Go…
It’s taken a long time, but Google Maps has finally begun working on coverage of the little Illinois town I grew up in. Sure, it’s blurry, low-resolution, and oddly angled. But there’s something deeply sentimental about the ability to walk the streets of your childhood from the privacy of your computer.
I came across a photo of my Grandma G’s house and it struck a sensitive nerve with me. I never drive by there, it’s just too much. And the new owners have really let it fall apart, which is all the more upsetting. But seeing it there on Google really took me back. I could smell the flowers in summertime and the fresh cut grass when my Dad took me over so he could mow her lawn.
It’s one of those memories we can never get back. She would have been 78 last Wednesday. Now thanks to Google, I can still visit her house any time I want.
A Quote to Inspire
The more I ponder this, the deeper it gets.
- “Every decision you make – every decision – is not a decision about what to do. It’s a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do.”
—Neale Donald Walsch
Gun Control… But How?
We all know the saying… Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Our second amendment gives us the right to bear arms. But when that amendment was put into place, our forefathers probably never envisioned a world where you could kill off a whole group of people with a hand gun.
It’s a sensitive subject for many people. Gun enthusiasts think that all guns should be legal, no matter what. No restrictions, no sidenotes, they see it as their own right, pure and simple.
Other people think that guns should be banned altogether, pointing to the facts and statistics about gun violence and how it continues to increase each year. In their opinion, these laws need to be revised to reflect our modern society.
But many people are somewhere in the middle. They think guns should be allowed for things like hunting, but would like to see an end to these tiny concealed weapons that people carry with them. Afterall, most gun related violence is the result of a small concealed weapon.
One thing I think we can all universally agree on is that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. How we achieve that is an open ended question.
What do you think the solution is?
The Kiss
This was one of the first gay photos I saw when I was younger…
Picture it… Illinois, 1997. A curious teenage boy had just figured out he could sneak onto the family computer late at night and find gay porn. I had never seen two men kiss. I had never seen any form of intimacy between them. But I came upon a series of photos with this couple at the beach. It seemed so natural. Two men, sharing their affection for each other.
Being the rebel I was, it didn’t take long before I found a boy, grabbed hold of him and tried to duplicate a kiss like this. It wasn’t in the water, it wasn’t romantic at all, and I had not yet mastered the art of seduction. But it’s nice to see where I got the inspiration from.
Did Family Guy Go Too Far?
Everyone from gay rights activists to the Parents Television Council is angry about last Sunday’s episode of “Family Guy.” But the show’s fan base, which is filled with loyal gay viewers, thinks everyone should lighten up. So what’s all the fuss about?
The episode, titled “Family Gay,” finds the Griffins in a financial crunch. To make some extra money, Peter Griffin signs up for lab testing. In one experiment, he is injected with a gay gene, which instantly transforms him into a flaming queen.
Activists are angry because they feel the episode squeezed just about every stereotype you could imagine into one episode. Gloryholes, show tunes, fisting, open relationships, orgies, the way gay people dress, the way they speak, the ability to cook, the ability to decorate, the limp wrists and feminine mannerisms… Basically any and every stereotype people have about us made it into the episode.
The Parents Television Council has filed a complaint with the FCC, adding criticism over one scene where a horse licks Peter’s ass (it was a very mild depiction of rimming) and another scene where the baby Stewie ate cereal with horse sperm in it.
My two cents on it…
The oldest trick in comedy is taking a complex issue, blowing it up into a hugely exaggerated joke, and through laughter, we are able to deal with the reality. The episode is actually very “pro-gay” if you pay attention to the dialog. There is one scene that summarizes it when Lois tells her newly gay husband that we can’t choose our sexuality anymore than we can choose the color of our skin. She then gives her full support to accepting that Peter is gay. I loved it! This episode is an instant classic.
As far as the group of parents who are pissed off… Look, you are responsible for what your children watch. It is not Fox’s job to raise your children.
The ratings system was specifically created so that parents can block shows that are rated TV-14. All you have to do is set your TV to block any shows that you don’t want your kids to watch. You have the tools to be better parents — use them!
Watch the controversial episode in its entirety here:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/61211/family-guy-family-gay
Is Illinois the Next Big Thing?
The state that divides the East and the West is quickly becoming a symbol of progress.
Rodney and I both grew up in the state of Illinois, but never thought of it as progressive. Sure, it’s a blue state, but it’s nothing like the city of Chicago, the third largest city in the U.S. As soon as you leave the city limits, all you have is a very long, flat, and pretty boring state. Like other Midwestern states, it’s also fairly conservative.
But in the past week, Illinois has quietly put the wheels into motion for civil unions and legalized medical marijuana. Surprisingly there hasn’t been a lot of outcry from conservatives… at least not yet.
Starting with civil unions…
On March 5, the Illinois House passed a bill for civil unions by a vote of 5-4, which would give domestic partners access to 648 different state laws that only married couples currently get to enjoy. Now that the bill has passed, it will be moved to a full House vote on the floor.
The name of the bill is The Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act. I thought this was very clever because it seems to focus on the separation of church and state… a real slap in the face to conservatives who try to force their religious beliefs into state laws.
Medical marijuana…
On March 4, the Illinois House approved a measure for medical marijuana by a vote of 4-3. Just like the civil unions, this will also now be left to the full House vote before it can take effect.
If passed, people would be allowed to keep up to 7 dried cannabis plants and/or up to 2 ounces of usable marijuana in their home… only after receiving approval from a doctor, of course.
Breaking new ground…
If these pass, it could mean big things for the state of Illinois. Our country needs to loosen up and stop banning everything. These things are already legal in many foreign countries. But if a Midwest state located right in the middle of the country followed this trend, it could open doors all over the rest of the U.S.
We will see what happens. I think the civil unions may actually make it, but I have my doubts about the medical marijuana passing just yet.
