no fish sticks please

happen often?

2009-10-09T18:14:00.000-04:00

where to cut the hole in ur door when installing a kitty door.

if u can't figure that one out on ur own, ur too dumb to have a cat -
or a door.

fishtank friday

2009-10-02T17:59:00.001-04:00

6 weeks later. corals are growing, algae are under control ( for now),
and a few fish have moved in. im having a lot of fun.

and it's looking nice.

How lazy are u allowed to be?

2009-09-14T15:23:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of my street. It's a dead end street. I am taking
the picture standing at the start of the street, and where u see the
pavement end, that's the end.

The kids schoolbus picks them up at the top of the street every
morning, and drops them off in the same place in the afternoon.

The people at the end of the street...

drive their kids to the bus!!

I kid u not.

It's about - oh - fifty yards.

Seriously. That's seriously messed up.

movie fun

2009-09-08T16:20:00.003-04:00

as a parent of young kids, u end up listening to more childrens music and seeing more kids movies than u ever thought was possible. little ones want to hear the same song over and over and over...

and watch the same movie over and over and over.

luckily, the makers of many childrens cartoons now realise that parents end up watching their movies almost as much as the kids, and they stick little fun, more or less adult references in their productions. u know, just little ditties that the kiddies wont get, but is bound to amuse the parents. most of these fun references are hidden away in the background animations or in dialog that can be hard to pick up on the first (or second or third) time u see the movie.

but as i watch these movies i start to notice more and more of these gags.

and of course i would like to share. if u have these movies at home, u might know these, if not, u can always get it on netflix if u want to see (and hear for urself).

these always crack me up.

todays movie gags are from pixars, "finding nemo"

some names of boats in the sydney harbor "major plot point", "bow movement", "knottie buoy", "pier pressure" and "iBoat".

the fishtank mountain in the dentist's office is called "mount wannahockalougie".

one fish in the fishtank introduces herself as aunt deb, she believes her reflection in the tank glass is her sister, flo. (aunt flo, anyone?)

the sharks are having a 12 step meeting where they recite "i am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. if I am to change this image, i must first change myself. fish are friends, not food."

12 step meeting leader: "todays meeting is step 5: bring a fish friend."

little fish in nemos school: "im h2o intolerant"

bruce the shark, with a wild look in his eyes, peeking in thru hole in door he just made to get to the fish: "heeeereees bruuuucie!"

fish hatching escape plan by busting the filter so the dentist will have to take them out of the tank to clean it: "ok everybody, we have 24 hours before darla gets here. the tank can get plenty dirty in that time. be as gross as possible. think dirty thoughts!"

marlin: "the water is half empty already"
dory: "really? it looks half full to me"

dory, after marlin ensures her he can find the way to sydney by himself: "what is it about men and asking for directions?"

and thats what i found so far after watching the movie, oh... say... about seventy two times.

time flies when ur having fun

2009-09-04T18:58:00.000-04:00

two years ago today, i screamed at a woman, for the first time in my
grown up life.

i seem to remember it going something like this:

"i don't care if i'm only two cm! give me the £~^}^#% epidural!"

happy second birthday tiger-baby.

long, warm summer nights with a hint of lyme

2009-08-25T14:00:00.003-04:00

the summer is coming to an end. its hard to believe its almost over, even though i will be happy to see the heat replaced with more "nordic" temperatures. in one week my little bug starts kindergarten. i cant believe she is that old already. i am more nervous about it than she is.

this is the first summer i have not been "home". my mother has visited here, and in a few weeks my sister and her significant other will come for a couple weeks. but its not quite the same. i did get to go earlier this spring, although the excitement of going home was overshadowed by the passing of my grandmother. i was very lucky and got to spend some time with her before she left.

this is also the summer i got married. for reals married. bye-bye civil union. the little bug can go off to kindergarten with her parents properly married.

this is the summer we are potty training tiger. he knows what to do, but doesnt really want to be bothered. i decided to just go cold turkey and put him in underwear, let him wave bye-bye to the diapers. today is the first day, its just past noon and he is in his fourth pair of undies.

*give me strength*

and last but not least, this is the summer i got bit by a little speck. a little speck i happened to see, sitting on my back. i dont like bugs, or specks, or whatever the heck it is, on me. so i quickly brushed it off. it fell on the floor and disapeared, just as i thought to myself;

"wonder if that was a #$##$% tick!"

and, yeah, it was.

fast forward two weeks and i had forgotten about that speck. the heat was kicking my ass (vikings dont like heat!) and i was feeling exhausted and somewhat headache-y. happened to catch a glimps of a red, nasty welt on my back the size of a grapefruit.

*aaargh!*

g*d damn*d it!!

trip to the doc. she didnt need more than 10 seconds to diagnose me with lyme disease. guess it wasnt the heat that was knocking me around.

so here i am, hot, tired, achey and full of antibiotics.

oh....and one more thing.

now that the temperatures are supposed to be coming down and its actually gonna be possible to spend a few nice days out in the sun without melting;

taking these lyme meds, i should stay out of the sun!

mother frakker!

CT ink

2009-08-16T15:35:00.001-04:00

What happens when u leave a toddler alone for five minutes ( and there
happens to be a permanent marker close by).

fishtank thursday

2009-08-13T18:17:00.000-04:00

the saltwater tank now has about 50 pounds of rock in it and quite a
few patches of pink coralline algae. there is also some nasty, brown
stuff growing everywhere (that i have identified as diathoms) but my
"cleaning crew" made up of snails and hermit crabs seems to have it
under control.

don't feel quite confident enuff to put fish in there yet. but hermit
crabs can be surprisingly entertaining...

(did i just say that? i need to get out more!!)

fresh fish

2009-08-06T17:05:00.001-04:00

due to the overwhelming amounts of emails, phone calls, personal pleas
and the direct government involvement, i hereby bring u a picture of
the 55 gallon fresh water tank.

it's my firm opinion that the tetras complaint that the inhabitants of
the fresh water tank is being treated like second class swimmers is
unfounded. there is nothing wrong with being seperate but equal...

reef wednesday

2009-08-05T20:28:00.001-04:00

being that i obviously have too much time on my hands, i have decided
to set up a saltwater reef aquarium. i am learning that i really know
shit about marine life and environments.

but, that said, im willing and able... to learn.

this is how the tank looked today. no fishies yet, only some dry rock,
live sand and five blue legged hermit crabs ( three of which can be
located at the current time).

wish me luck!

environmental bulldinky

2009-07-01T10:01:00.003-04:00

so, in case u havent heard;

the earth is heating up.

and the blame game is on. too much pollution. natural variation. co2. h2o. h2so4. too many lesbians. something like that. and the solutions are plentyful.

one solution ppl are coming up with is going paperless.

"the paperless society".

woohoo! good idea! lets do it.

as parents we should be diapering our kids in cloth diapers. to save the environment.

use washcloths instead of disposable wipes. to save the environment.

there even are, *gag*, ppl who has done away with toiletpaper, *shudder*. i guess they use towels or cloths or leaves or sumthin. all to save the environment.

i have experience with cloth diapers. the family i used to work for had their kids in cloth diapers - for a while. so the kid is wrapped up in a bulky, uncomfortable, towel thingy, with velcro on the sides. it has a plastic cover so they wont leak, or breath, baby bottom is always wet, gets sore, have to use ointment.... but i digress (btw, did u know "gress" means "grass" in norwegian?).

anyway, this is what happens.

when the kid takes a loooong pee, it leaks out the sides. cloth is just not as absorbant as paper. sometimes kids do little "squirty" pees. then its ok. but many times they let go of a gallon at a time and then its not ok. and some "other" times they have what we would call "the tummy yuckies", and trust me when i say; cloth diapers cant handle it.

so the result is soiled diaper, soiled pants, soiled socks and if u are really unlucky; soiled shoes or couch (keep the kids off of nice furniture if in cloth diapers, just a warning!). if its nighttime, u will, in addition, have soiled sheets and in the case of tummy yuckies, soiled everything from toe to hairline and then some. nothing to do but strip down and throw it all in the laundry. and no short cycle using cold water and tide will clean up the bacteria that lives in and around ur tushie. boiling water and/or bleach. for along time. thats what it takes. of course, bleach is *bad* for the environment. heating water to the boiling point takes a lot of energy, as does running the washer for an hour or two, and if u use a drier....u see where im going? energy in this country comes mainly from burning oil, coal or the likes. bad, bad, bad for the environment. oooor, u can use a diaper service. they come and pick up ur dirty cloth diapers. to drive them, by car, to a place that washes them, in boiling water, with bleach, then drives them back to u, by car.

so, let me wrap this up a little. u use cloth. u end up with; more laundry, laundry that cant be washed in the environmentally friendly short cycle, using cold water. so u spend more energy doing laundry, energy that comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which is the leading cause of global warming. u release big amount of bleach into the environment, which kills plants and vegetation, which ironically, are supposed to soak up the pollutants from burning fossil fuels to prevent global warming. and thats just washing the damned things. then there is bleaching the container where u keep all ur soiled cloths. more bleach. gas for the car who drives this stuff back and forth to ur house... need i go on?

or, if u , to save the environment, choose to wash the soiled cloths on short cycle, without bleach. *shudder*. ull end up wrapping ur kid (or wiping urself) with a towel full of anus-gunk. getting sick only creates more laundry, missing work (in these financially fragile times), seeing a doctor (drive there in ur car?), using medicines (animal testing is not environmentally friendly), etc.

all this to save the environment.

im speechless with appreciation. thank u for taking it upon urself to save us all. and, not to forget, ur never ending nagging about how much u do and how we all should feel ashamed for using evil paper products that kills the earth and blah, blah, blah.

let me tell u. while u are bleaching and boiling and using vast amounts of energy on ur asscloths; *i* throw my paper products in the garbage. my garbage is then hauled away to my towns transfer station, where it will be burned, and turned into energy.

happy environment, everyone.

no title

2009-06-05T14:28:00.003-04:00

two weeks ago, i traveled to norway with my two young'uns. mainly because my grandmother had gotten seriously ill. i had not planned on going to norway this year, the airfare and everything was really not in our budget at this time. im a full time student, since that is the only way i can legally stay with my family in the u.s. tuition and other school expences is really draining our budget and of course i am not allowed to work or earn money in anyway on a student visa.

today, 2 weeks after i arrived in norway, my grandmother died. i held her hand and stroked her hair and she quietly took her last breath. it was peaceful but easily the most upsetting and difficult time of my life. i dont know wether to cry or stare quietly into empty space. i thank the gods i was able to see her again before she went. im grateful that i have a visa that makes it safe for me to travel out of the u.s. without worrying about not being able to return to my house and family in the states. for now.

even in my grief i want to share a story with u. this link will take u to a youtube clip of mrs. tan, testifying before the senate about her family's fight to stay together. please, help her and help us and all of the 36 000 other couples like us in the u.s. watch this clip and contact ur representatives.

im all out of tears.

for my grandmother, for me, for my kids, for mrs. tan, for her kids.

please

help us

all 36 000 of us

wisdom and inspiration

2009-06-04T07:42:00.002-04:00

i am breaking radio silence after watching obama's speech live from egypt on my norewgian tv. i have only one thing to say.

this man

is

fucking

brilliant

peace. out.

what i want for valentines day

2009-02-09T14:59:00.002-05:00

on february 13th, rep. nadler will reintroduce the "uniting american families act".

"The Uniting American Families Act is a bill that if passed, would provide a mechanism under the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents in binational same-sex relationships to sponsor their foreign born partner for immigration benefits to the U.S."

this would allow for kl to sponsor me and we will never have to worry about visas again!

please, follow this link; urge ur representatives to support this bill.

pretty please with cherry on top.

give me a hand

2009-02-08T22:05:00.002-05:00

my little tiger has trouble sleeping. from the time he was born he has never slept more than a few hours at a time. day or night. its is difficul for him to fall asleep also. we have tried everything, from crying it out to medication, nothing seems to make a difference. our only hope at this point (he is a year and a half now) is that he, at some point in life, will grow out of it. or at least move away for college, so we can get some sleep.

tonite i was camping out in his room, like always. i was singing a lullaby, he was lying down in his crib. the lights were dimmed and the house quiet. *e* was already asleep, kl at work. animals were snoozing and the tv was off. i finish the song. all is quiet. a second passes. two. maybe he fell asleep. then his head lifts from the pillow. i hold my breath in anticipation. what will follow? will he just turn over and lie back down? will he cry? throw himself over the crib railing to get out? i fear it will be a long nite.

then;

clapping!

tiny hands applauding my lullaby. then he puts his head down, closes his eyes and falls asleep.

inclement weather

2009-02-03T13:46:00.003-05:00

so far my going-back-to-school experience has been pretty laid back. of four possible classes held so far, one was cut short by one and a half hours because the professor was going to a conference, and three has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

u gotta love it.

there is no "inclement weather" in norway. if it snows, u etter leave early enuff to get to where u need to be or someones gonna have ur ass. i remember as a kid walking to school in snow up past my knees. of course it was all uphill both ways and we had no shoes and we hadnt eaten anything but rotten potatoes for three weeks.

oh, the good old days.

02-02-02

2009-02-02T10:48:00.004-05:00

to u on this special day

i like u a lot
you're funny and kind.
so let me explain
what i have in mind...

i want to be your personal penguin.
i want to walk right by you're side.
i want to be your personal penguin.
i want to travel with you far and wide.

whereever you go,
i'll go there too.
here and there and everywhere
and always with you.
i want to be your personal penguin
from now on.

now, lots of other penguins seem to do fine
in a universe of nothing but ice.
but if i could be yours and you could be mine
our cozy little world would be twice as nice.

i want to be your personal penguin.
i want to talk with you night and day.
i want to be your personal penguin.
i want to listen to whatever you say.

look at these wings, so perfect to hold you.
i'd like to say it again what i have already told you.

let me be your personal penguin
imagine me, your personal penguin
i want to be your personal penguin
from now on.

please?

(text by sandra boynton,
love by alter rigo)

breaking radio silence

2009-02-01T10:18:00.003-05:00

i am back. in every sense of the word. after an xmas from hell, i got notice from the potential employer that i am absolutelly the right person for the job, but...their human resources office isnt interested in signing the paperwork for the visa. so ...

plan b. student visa. i am now a full time student again. im telling u; it is SO much harder to go back to school when u are not doing it for the right reasons. i have no desire to go back to school, but if its the only way to keep my family together, then thats what i have to do.

*sigh*

come on obama. get rid of that doma already.

on another note; we accuired another pathetic lifeform the other day, it the form of a TREE cat. no, not a FREE cat. a TREE cat. i bet u didnt know this, but unlike money, cats really do grow on trees in these heren parts. he is the friendliest cat i have ever known and he has already gotten acquainted with the rest of the zoo. and like *e* so cleverly pointed out; now we have two of everything: two cats, two dogs, two brothers, two sisters and two mommies.

how cool is that?

what is the alternative

2008-11-23T21:36:00.002-05:00

gay marriage is now legal here in the state of connecticut. according to some, this is very scary and will change the way we think about marriage and families all together. something really bad will happen when gays can marry, im just not quite sure what, as i never really seem to be able to grasp the core of this fear.

from what i have understood tho, it has something to do with teaching kids about different kinds of families in school. somehow the battle has become, if gays can marry, then all kids will have to learn about gayness in school. learning about gayness, of course, turns u gay. and it turns ur parents gay. and possibly ur neighbors if they live close enuff. and being gay sends u straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.

now...i hate to bring this up but...our family is what it is regardless of the parents being able to marry or not. spiritually, i mean. our kids still have two parents. one mom and one mamma. and the kids going to pre-school with our oldest, knows about gayness. not because it is in the curriculum, but because *e* talks about her two moms, the kids see us drop off and pick up, *e* has pictures of her family on the wall like every other kid in her class. i dont know what the parents think, i dont know what they say to their kids when they ask about *e*'s two moms. nor do i care.

i do question tho some of the labels that are flying around. some ppl seem obsessed with labeling.

we are a 'same-sex' family. yeah, i guess. i have always been the same sex. never once have i fluctuated over to the opposite sex, not even for a day.

we are a gay family. is that a really dumb or a really happy family?

then there is the lesbian family. i think our son will object to that one, as im pretty sure he is the least likely to be a lesbian out of all of us.

how about a non-traditional family? is that a family who doesnt celebrate xmas and thanksgiving?

and my personal favorite: alternative family. what the hell is that, anyway? does that mean im an alternative person? are my kids alternative children?

seriously, people!

we are just a family.

what are u so afraid of?

come on, catch-up!

2008-11-20T10:34:00.004-05:00

i just had to know what veggie i would be if i were to have an anurism and because of my sexual lesbianism thingee, i would be denied for an ambulance or something and end up comatosed in a hopital bed with no rights to visitation from my closest family because of the same-sex issue....

are u even allowed to pull the plug on

ketchup?

"Is ketchup a vegetable? If you want to get technical, ketchup probably doesn't belong in this quiz at all -- and that's why it reminds us of you. You have an "anything goes" attitude, like the way some people put ketchup on French fries, and some people put it on eggs. It's all good! You're not interested in being like everyone else or fitting in with the crowd. You just want life to be as tasty as possible.

1% of the people who took this quiz got the same evaluation."

go find out what veggie u are. or not.

the pic says it all

2008-11-17T14:42:00.004-05:00

as simple as that

2008-11-13T10:06:00.004-05:00

yesterday, a request came to me via a message from a gay adoption listserve that i belong to. it read:

"...i am doing a paper for my english class on why gays and lesbians should be able to adopt children..."

as i read, the answer was crystal clear;

my friend,

u ask simply:

"why should gays and lesbians be able to adopt children?"

i answer simply:

"why not?"

fight, god damned it!!

2008-11-11T19:27:00.003-05:00

"be as beneficent as the sun or the sea, but if your rights as a rational being are trenched on, die on the first inch of your territory." ~ralph waldo emerson

being a non-citizen of the u.s.a., i did not get to vote in the election. being a resident of the u.s.a., i followed the results with a nervous lump in my throat. the vote for the president was interesting, yes. i congratulate obama on his victory. but to me, and to my family, this election was no victory. never have i felt more degraded, humiliated, frustrated and defeated than i did after seeing how my rights and the rights of my family, my beautiful children, were stomped on by strangers.

just the thought of having my basic civil rights voted on, is degrading beyond words. i have never heard of any other civilized country in the world who allows a popular vote do decide on other peoples rights. i can not believe people are not more outraged. i mean....all ppl, not just gays. who will be next? its like a high stakes game of american idol. today the gays get voted off the civil rights list, tomorrow its between women and latinos.

why are u so silent?

why are u not publically outraged?

if this happened in norway, ppl would be screaming in the streets. everywhere. the media would make minced meat out of the bigots. the religious leaders who supported this would be humiliated and hung out to dry. u dont get to treat ppl this way and get away with it.

if u have not seen it, take a look at the editorial from msnbc's countdown. i dont care what u think of the guy, listen to what he says.

then go out and fight. fight for what is yours. fight for ur family. for ur children. im gonna fight for mine.

there is a nationwide protest being put together for nov. 15th.

i will be going. so will kitty litter, *e* and tiger. will u be there? we would love to meet up with u all. jess? tina? sassy? val? weese? anyone else in connecticut?

i will leave u with this link. please, dont sit back and hope someone else will fight this battle for u. take back whats urs.

more guns please

2008-10-28T13:28:00.007-04:00

for those of us (one or two) that are sick and tired of politics, there are other news out there.

like this story from massashootsets, where an 8 year old boy shot himself in the head with an uzi at a weapons show his dad had taken him to. it was, of course, an accident and who'd have ever thunk that handing an eight year old an automatic weapon could be dangerous? his genious father states it like this :"this accident was truly a mystery to me".

i think i might be as baffled as he is.

he continues: "i really don’t know why it happened. i don’t think it’s relevant that he was holding the weapon".

really? not even a little bit relevant? if he was holding something else, like a carrot, u think he would have accidentally killed himself by shoving it in his ear?

i think this is an obvious lesson for all of us.

eight years old is clearly way too late to hand ur kid an uzi for the first time. had this poor child had more experience he might only have shot someone else. no, get em armed as early as possible. im taking my responsibility seriously;

*e* got her first bazooka last month and tiger sleeps with a meat cleaver in his crib.

yahoo!

unsettled

2008-10-23T13:49:00.004-04:00

the kids and i have been back in the 'u.s of a' now for about a month. the anxiety has been growing and growing for each day that passes. cause for every day that goes by its one day closer to the day we have to leave. yeah i know, we live with the glass half empty here.

marriage in connectict doesnt take me any closer to a visa since the immigration laws are federal, and the 'defense of marriage act' puts a stopper to all recognition by the uscis.

there might be an opening here tho... cross ur fingers everyone.

i am in talks with a potential employer. someone who would be able to sponsor me (hopefully) for a work visa if nothing else. it would give me three more years. and it would give me the opportunity to get into a career path that is new and seems very exciting.

so if u have a few to spare, send some happy thoughts this way.

i.k.e.a.

2008-10-22T20:01:00.003-04:00

we bought a new piece of furniture. it has to be assembled. so i've been working on it over the last few days (hmmm...make that weeks). tonite it became a team effort as i threw the screwdriver across the room.

what follows is the exchange of words in the wholesome-family:

kl: so what do i do with this thing? (holds up a bracket-thingee)
tg: hmmm....it has two sets of holes. one set is marked 'a' and one is marked 'b'.
kl: ok.....*waiting*
tg: according to these instructions ... *mumble, mumble*.
kl: *holds her breath*
tg: well, it appears that u screw it in the a-hole.
kl: *chuckle*
tg: did i just say that?

7 odd facts about me

2008-10-17T10:57:00.004-04:00

ok jess, im usually a non-conformist....which i guess counts as one of the seven odd facts....but hey....its friday

the rules:

1. link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. share 7 facts about yourself on your blog - some random, some weird.
3. tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

ok...here we go...odd odd...

1) i have a friend named 'odd' ... its a normal male name in norway...i know...we are kinda odd.

2) im a socialist. i grew up in the worlds best country to live in (according to the united nations) and strongly believe that making ppl feel safe and taken care of creates a happy, productive, non-violent society. yes, i said it. now sue me, fuckers!

3) contrary to what u might think (im a socialist, after all), i like fishsticks.

4) i had a hamster when i was little. my yonger sister killed it by squeezing it in her hand. she was 2. (my sister, not the hamster).

5) i have a weird, morbid, fucked up sense of humor.

6) i seem to have a strange effect on ppl. either ppl really like me, or ppl really hate me. there doesnt seem to be anything in between. i have some theories but it would just take too long.

7) i tend to say things as i see them. if u ask me an opinion, i will give it to u. im not gonna say what u want to hear. and if something pisses me off, i have trouble shutting up. if ur full of bs, ill call u on it. unless im tired and id rather not be bothered, in which case, fuck it, ur just an idiot.

thank u, jess, for giving me the opportunity to let my anti-social, pro-socialist personality brighten the day of some lucky few.

i tag anyone whose name begins with 's'.

one, two, tree, go!

from the mouths of babes

2008-10-14T13:51:00.005-04:00

In response to my previous post, *e* and tiger would like to make a small anouncement.

"we are afraid.

of monsters.

no.."

*giggle*

"we are afraid of narrowminded and uneducated people who does not understand the importance of marriage equality. our moms deserve the opportunity to be married parents just like all the other parents in the world. more is at stake then just state rights. for mommy and mamma to have a snowballs chance in a really warm place to stay together, they need to be able to get married. that is the only way they can challenge the federal marriage ammendment, and consequently get mamma a green card to stay in the usa. if the narrowminded and scared ppl win in california, they will get wind in their sails and their heads will swell up like pumpkins. they will not stop until they have defeated all our gains and hard work over the past few years. therefore... for every blogger who donates to hrc's fund and posts a comment about it on this blog, tiger and i, (*e*, princess, 4 years old), will break into our piggy banks and donate an additional $5. thank u for listening. now i gotta run cause pinky, dinky, doo is about to start."

over and out.

dont let this happen!

2008-10-14T10:43:00.005-04:00

Marriage equality in California is now losing by 5 points, according to the latest poll numbers.

Until that poll, we were leading in California. What happened? Anti-LGBT groups are winning the fundraising battle by more than $10 million – and their vicious, untrue ads are everywhere.

Our lead has slipped, but victory is still within reach. We need to get on the air quickly to counter their lies and we need your help to do it.

Generous donors Tom Bombardier and John Fowler, along with the Human Rights Campaign, will double every online contribution TODAY, up to $120,000.

Donate now to the HRC California Marriage PAC – No on Proposition 8 and your gift for marriage equality will be DOUBLED.

Can you imagine a loving, committed, married couple watching their marriage rights evaporate against their will? I don't think there's any precedent for that in modern civilization.

Well, that's what could happen across California if Proposition 8 passes and the decision of the state Supreme Court is reversed.

Anti-LGBT forces are organizing and mobilizing furiously, raising money hand over fist, ginning up fear and resentment. Groups like Focus on the Family, members of the Mormon Church, and even the national Knights of Columbus have provided significant funding. And it appears their tactics are working – the recent polls show that California voters now favor the Amendment to ban marriage equality, 47 to 42 percent.

It's up to us to make sure the truth gets out, but we can only do that if we raise more money. Right now, their war chest is $10 million deeper than ours – and that gap is growing.

The Human Rights Campaign has been on the ground in California from the beginning of this fight, contributing time and resources, and we're not ready to give up now. In fact, we have already contributed more than $2 million to this fight. I'm guessing you aren't ready to give up either.

For those of us deeply committed to equality and dignity for LGBT Americans, the time is now – especially now that generous donors Tom Bombardier and John Fowler and HRC will double your gift and make it go twice as far.

Will you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us today? Every dollar you give right now will be DOUBLED and sent straight to California.

Wake up on November 5th knowing you did everything you could. We have equality, basic human decency and the truth on our side. Now we need you.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President, HRC

warm me up, baby

2008-10-10T14:19:00.003-04:00

im norwegian.

its cold in norway in the winter.

everyone assumes that i am somehow more tolerant to cold temperatures because of this.

im not.

the thing is. in norway it gets really cold. and the winter is long. and summer isnt that warm either. so... we know how to winterize our houses. we have thick layers of insulation, three layer windows, heated floors and so on.

also we dress for the cold, wool, layers, snow suits, parkas, hats, scarves and mittens. there are no "snow days", if its 30 below and 5 feet of snow; get ur shit on and go to school! and we can take it cause our clothes are made to withstand the cold. underneath we are warm and toasty.

so really, im less tolerant to the cold. im so used to sitting inside during the winter with the heat on, maybe a fire going in the fire place, heated floors so the kids dont get cold when they crawl or play on the floor.

i refuse to go thru the winter being cold. it makes for a miserable time for everyone. so i give up on other stuff to be able to heat my home to a decent temperature. (63 degrees, sassy! that cant be healthy)

with oil prices being thru the roof (altho they are coming down), we are getting estimates on putting in a heat pump. these are wonderful little things that work as air conditioning in the summer and reverses to heat ur house in the winter. we are hoping to get one installed before heating season starts and save some money on oil this winter.

start over

2008-10-07T21:09:00.001-04:00

if u could (had to) change ur career, go back to school or just change ur job, what would u wanna be/do?

one day, in the great, big city

2008-10-01T15:04:00.003-04:00

ok....

so...

its getting hot in blog land. politics are getting out of hand. but its understandable. look at the world economy going into the shitter. most ppl are right in getting a little edgy. ppls houses, jobs, retirements, health and well being is at stake. ppl are calling eachother idiots. then the idiots are calling the other idiots idiots, for calling them an idiot, and so the fun goes on and on.

politics are not about whats right and wrong. discussing politics is completely useless. the thing we need to understand is that politics and political views spring from each persons perspective, wants and needs.

lets say there are two parties in this country (lets just say, shall we?). i will call them "snow suit party" and "swim trunk party". snow suit party wants everyone to wear a snowsuit all the time. and swim trunk party wants.....yes....everyone to wear swim trunks...all the time.

so if u live in, say, southern texas, the swim trunk party might sound most appealing and the snow suit party must be idiots. who wants to wear warm clothes in the god damned heat?!.

but in north dakota, u might get drawn towards the snow suit party. cause their views suit ur needs the best. afterall who in their right minds would want to wear swim trunks in sub zero temperatures, surely the swim trunk party is filled with dumbasses and idiots.

and....there might be ppl in north dakota that wants to vote for the swim trunk party and some might be inclined to call them idiots. after all, having to wear swim trunks while the snow is piling up outside ur door might seem a little dumb. but....maybe this person has a huge house with a pool and doesnt care to go outside much. or they love to feel the cold air numb their limbs cause it makes them feel alive.

or a person in arizona might want to wear a snow suit. they believe in the cleansing of the body through profuse sweating, or thinks that having their blood boil builds character.

so what party u are drawn to depends on what u want and miss in ur life. what political party caters more to ur individual needs.

this, as alot of other things in life, comes down to understanding that other ppl have different needs, views and desires then ourselves. that all ppl see the world from their own perspective. and really understanding that there is no right or wrong. there is no one size fits all.

there is no universal truth.

now....

what the hell are those kids up to?

happy

2008-09-23T12:54:00.004-04:00

we are all happy to be home together again. even more happy that i actually made it here. the ass wipe that greeted me at immigration at jfk airport decided that since i have been here twice on a visitors visa i must be living here and therefore breaking the law. i tried to explain to him, but all my efforts, the fact that it was 10 pm and i had a tired, crying baby with me didnt seem to make one bit of difference. off to the backroom we went. to be "investigated".

*sigh*

after one hour of waiting in a small, dirty room with other distressed ppl, someone finally picked up our file (i was keeping an eye on it). the guy who opened it rolled his eyes and exclaimed "what?!". i dont know what that meant, was it good or bad? he walked off with my passport and tiger fell asleep in my arms. when the guy came back he called me up to the counter. he told me he understood my situation and that he was just doing his job (where have we heard that before? sieg heil!). but...he was going to give me the benefit of the doubt. how big of him. he let me in this time but told me it would not fly again. no more "visiting". get a real visa or stay away.

i have never felt so insulted and belitteled. course u dont fuck with these guys and all i could do was swallow my anger, smile kindly and say "thank u, sir".

but we are here now. and we are happy now. and as *e* was singing in the backseat while on a raod trip in norway the other day: "if ur happy and u know it, touch urself".

and that is probably good advice.

excited

2008-09-15T07:32:00.004-04:00

kl is coming tomorrow...kl is coming tomorrow...

*does a happy dance*

we cant wait to see u, mommy, wife, best friend.

its been too long.

best part?

we are coming home together!!

the skills we forget

2008-09-12T07:01:00.008-04:00

we are trying to teach tiger to walk. but he has other plans. its not that he cant walk...he just prefers not to. crawling is so much faster at this point.

but there are so many other skills he has. u know, skills that we all had at one point or another but that somehow got lost along the way to adulthood.

as a special friday treat, tiger is gonna give us a crash course in "the multiple uses of common household items".

today: the plate

u can use it as a hammer

u can use it as a drum

u can use it as a face shield

or of course, it can be used as a nice, fashionable hat

thank u for ur attention and be sure to tune back later for more helpful tips.

to love a boy

2008-09-04T13:22:00.003-04:00

a year ago today i fell in love with a boy for the first time in my life. not only did he make me cry of pure joy and happiness, he actually made me pass out cold.

here's to you, handsome.

happy, happy birthday!

opinions pls

2008-08-28T15:15:00.002-04:00

i want u to conduct a thought experiment with me.

imagine that u go to bed (to go to sleep!), and at the same time u set ur alarm to go off 45 minutes later. then imagine u can set the snooze to give u a random amount of time before sounding the alarm again, anywhere from 10 minutes to 1.5 hrs. place the alarm clock in the next room, but loud enuff that u cant possibly ignore it. get up whenever the alarm goes off to hit snooze for the next 4 hrs. next get a hot water bottle and put it in bed with u. roll it around ur bed with ur eyes closed, making sure it never falls off the bed or bangs into the wall. continue this until u need to get up to go to work.

repeat for the next year.

now, how do u feel about drugging babies? no....for reals...given the above situation (baby, instead of alarm clock and hot water bottle), would it justify trying the baby on sleeping pills (under strict supervision of a doctor, of course!)?

im torn.

my exhausted body screams "yes".

some part of me that i cant properly identify because my brain is so sluggish from long term sleep deprivation, says "no".

jekyll, is that u?

2008-08-27T13:30:00.002-04:00

have u ever known someone whom everyone around u seems to love?

and yet u feel this person is a total douche hat?

fucked up, isnt it?

and for u...the person who pretends to be someone ur not:

i see u for who u really are. u might have everyone else duped, but u dont fool me for a second. and u dont scare me either. u might think u are smart, but trust me...well educated doesnt necessarily mean wise, smart or even intelligent. a diploma or a fancy title doesnt buy u a common sense, good judgement or even manners.

to quote ... someone...; "id love to see the world from ur perspective, but i cant get my head up my ass that far"

listen to this:

stay away from me and mine.

the next time u feel like writing something or sending a moronic email

do urself a favor

dont.

worth ur weight in words

2008-08-21T16:28:00.002-04:00

it has come to my attention that there is a debate going regarding the english language and its counter-intuitive grammar and phonics system. should we let struggling students get away with easier spelling and grammar?

english is not a very phonetic language. as far as i know, its one of the most difficult languages to learn (at least the written part). norwegian is a phonetic language. every letter has a sound and every sound has a letter. no letter has more than one sound and no sound has more than one letter. words are written the way they sound. (pretty much).

being a teacher that has worked, and is still working with, the special ed. population, i see how kids struggle every day to learn to read and write. much more so in english than in norwegian.

but most disturbing to me is this;

its not the reading and/or writing difficulties that lead these kids into depression, frustration and low self esteem. its the feeling of failure compared to other students. its the stamp they get on their heads of not being "smart enuff" or of being less worth as a person because they struggle with letters that leads these students to drop out of school, to act out towards other ppl, to loose hope in their future, to loose faith in themselves and to doubt their own self worth. it breaks my heart everytime.

how absurd is this? we judge an entire group of ppl meerly based on their ability to use correct spelling and grammar? should we not make all ppl feel accepted regardless of their abilities? should we not help everyone feel included and worthy? if u never see them spell, would u think differently of them? should they feel differently about u based on looks, weight or financial abilities?

why does it matter anyway? are ur thoughts more worth than mine because u use proper english? are u more valuable as a human being because u can put one letter infront of the other according to a standardized system better than i can? should i feel inferior to u because i cant or wont capitalize my i's? should i judge u as an illiterate because u dont write well in my language? (how is ur norwegian these days)?

what is important? the outside, superficial stuff like how u look, how u write or how u spell "night". or do we believe all ppl have an intrinsic value regardless of all the wrapping? i choose to be less superficial and judgemental and more understanding and accepting. i want u to know that when ur with me, u can feel safe to be who u are.

maybe i know something u dont know...but if u cant see past my grammar, then how are u going to find out?

financial ludicrous

2008-08-21T15:02:00.004-04:00

i hear on the radio today;

"all trains between xxx and yyy are stopped due to down power lines. it is unknown when the trains can start running again. all passengers will be transported between xxx and yyy in taxis"

yeah!

taxi!

u really need a train (or even several trains) to run between two destinations where the passenger count is such that u can fit them into a taxi?

im just asking.

olympics

2008-08-13T13:58:00.003-04:00

*e* and i have been watching some olympics these last few days. the opening ceremony was stunning, but it lost some of the magic for me when it became known that some of the fireworks we saw on TV were computer animated, and that the little girl who sang when they brought in the chinese flag was just miming cause the real singer was too fat and her teeth were too crooked to be on TV (she is 8).

anyway, the sports are always entertaining and of course womens football and handball is dear to my heart (maybe cause those are the sports norway is most likely to win), but we watch alot of the other events as well. some not as well knows as others.

honestly, arent there some events that strike u as slightly odd?

take diving, for example. jumping off a bouncing board into a pool while spinning aorund. i dont know. maybe. but synchronized diving? come on! give me a break. whats the moral here? "its hard to do it, now look as us do it together." where do we draw the line? can we expect synchronized javelin? synchronized weight lifting? and dont even get me started on synchronized swimming.

other questionable sports:

* walking (really? walking?)

* shooting (sounds more like a crime than a sport.)

* sailling with big boat, little boat, boat with one sail, boat with two sails, with one person, with two ppl yada yada. where does that one end? make it sailing from point a to point b, any equipment and personel allowed. maybe even combine this with the shooting event. should be interesting.

* table tennis (need i say more)

* equestrian dressage (hello? the person isnt even doing the sport in this one. its a dancing horse!)

* track cycling (indoor cycling. soon to be followed by indoor golf and track sailing).

*baseball (just cause i think its a faggy sport to begin with).

im so upset

2008-08-12T15:21:00.003-04:00

just when life is the most stressful

i mean, i have never been in a situation like this in my life.

seperated from my life-partner, my wife and love.

raising our kids alone.

anxiety about the future.

the need for support, for friends, for understanding is at an all time high.

and what happens?

so-called friends turn on u like rabbid dogs.

this is why i have no need for friends.

i let my guard down.

and now it hurts really bad.

i hate ppl.

u cant do ur job u say?

2008-07-11T19:24:00.008-04:00

ok...so something is really buggin' me. a lot of things are actually buggin' me but tonite im gonna vent about this; religion and work. or rather, how religion gets u out of doing ur job. or more like, how i combine my job with my religious views to discriminate upon people i dont know.

something like that.

its been bothering me for a while. every so often a story will pop up in the news, like today, where a city clerk in england is now the victim of discrimination, according to the courts, for being told she had to do her job. ok...let me explain. she, as a city clerk, one of very few in this city i presume, is responsible for issuing marriage licenses. all people who wishes to get married will need one of these. the only place to get them would be at the city clerks office. and u have to get them in the city in which u live. its not enuff to just go to any old city clerk. ur kinda stuck going to the one u belong to. i know u probably know all this, but im just spelling it out to illustrate the utter idiocy of what is about to happen.

so...

her job is to issue these licenses to all the people in her town who wishes to get married. at some point in time, she decides that it is within her power to be selective about who she hands them out to. gay people for example, she says, do not get them at her office. even if this is their city clerks office, the only place they can get a license. and even if these people dont really intend to get married, but simply want a civil union. ok...so u might be asking why the lady is the one being discriminated against. surely, u say, the people who are denied their civil rights are the ones with the right to cry foul.

yeah, ud think.

but alas, someone told this lady that because she happens to be a public servant, an employee of the city, paid with taxpayers money, she has to perform her job regardless of wether she likes the people that comes into her office or not. she claims her religious rights permits her to be a racist. and she claims that she is in fact the one being discriminated against....and harassed! by her boss into performing actions that is against her religious believes.

and guess what? she won!! holy shit!

what does this mean now exactly? im a teacher... special ed teacher... lets say im a hindu... just play along ok?? so im a hindu, special ed teacher. as a hindu, cows are extremely sacred to me. in fact, they are so sacred that there are only two provinces in all of india where slaughter of cows is legal. any slaughter of cows can lead to criminal persecution and jail! thats how sacred they are to me.

so...

here comes johnny into my classroom. johnny is a student with, lets say he has CP. cerebral palsy. i look at him and ask him if he eats meat.

"ever had a hamburger, johnny?"

poor johnny loves his big mac with extra fries. oops... i ring for the principal. cant have this kid in my room. he is unclean. he eats the sacred cow. i cant teach him. my religion gets hives just by being in the same building as the cow-eating kid. i dont want to risk running into him in the hallway on my way to the bathroom. it would be safer for my religion if he wasnt even allowed in the building. in fact...all these kids eat meat. and most the teachers too. best get rid of all of them so not to disturb my religion. and do not try to tell me differently, or i will get the courts to pay me alot of money. ur money. bwwaahhaaa!!

hmmm... where was i going with all this?

oh yeah.

im sorry, lady. u dont get to do that. u dont get to pick and choose how to do ur job. and doctors dont get to pick and choose who they treat. and pharmacists dont get to pick and choose who to hand drugs out to. i dont care if the people u have to serve are black or green or gay or hindu or whether they need an abortion or a by-pass or a flu-shot. as a teacher ill teach all ur kids. even the snotty, obnoxious ones. and i expect u to do ur job accordingly. hiding behind religion to pass judgement on other people is not ok. even if the court agrees with u.

if u are that religious that u cant hand out a civil union license to a gay person, or if u are so religious u cant fill a perscription for birth control pills for a lady, or if u are so religious u cant perscribe a rape victim the morning-after pill, then dont get into a job or a career where u have to violate ur own religion. i mean...if ur a hindu and u worship the cow, dont go take a job at the fucking slaughterhouse! be a farmer....take care of the cow...make the cow happy...loooove the cow.

dont be an asswipe and use ur faith to make other people's lives miserable. do ur job or get the fuck outta there.

and thats all i have to say about that.

oxymoron?

2008-06-22T19:36:00.002-04:00

is it just me, or has the world gone ape-shit-crazy?

just this past week i came across the following two headlines.

Teen ‘pregnancy pact’ has 17 girls expecting - 17 girls in one high school made a deal that they would all get pregnant and raise their kids together. none of them are over 16. one of the fathers (to how many babies, the story does not say) is a 24 year old homeless guy. the school nurse had suggested giving out free contraceptives, but were almost fired for her efforts. instead she has given out a truckload of pregnancy tests.

now, i want u to look at this headline, and tell me the world hasnt completely lost its mind:

abstinence only program moving toward renewal

nuff said.

show me ur weed

2008-06-20T20:52:00.004-04:00

as a follow up to weese's recent post, i present this pic of a local bush.

way to go, norway

2008-06-12T09:48:00.001-04:00

(Oslo) The gallery at the Norwegian Parliament erupted in applause and cheers on Wednesday with the passage of legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The law also recognizes both partners in a marriage as equal parents and gives lesbian couples the same access to "medically assisted reproduction" as opposite-sex couples.

Parliament voted overwhelmingly to approve the bill, despite opposition from the Christian Democrats and Progress Party.

"It is a historic day," said Labor Party member Gunn Karin Gjul who compared passage to universal suffrage which gave women the right to vote nearly a century ago.

Socialist Left Party leader Kristin Halvorsen, who serves as Finance Minister in the coalition government said the law will ensure "'equal rights" and bar all forms of discrimination.

The country already allowed gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil partnerships, but LGBT rights groups had long complained the law did not go far enough and had created two classes of citizenship - one for heterosexuals the other for gays.

The new law amends the definition of civil marriage to make it gender neutral.
Under the law the Church of Norway would be allowed to bless same-sex marriages.
About 85 percent of Norway's 4.7 million people are registered as members of the state Lutheran Church of Norway, although far fewer are active.

The church is split on the issue of gay marriage, and is likely to allow each congregation to decide whether to conduct homosexual weddings, as it did last year in allowing parishes to decide whether to accept clergymen living in gay partnerships.

Passage of the law makes Norway the sixth country in the world to approve same-sex marriages.

taken from 365gay.com

the gist of it

2008-05-28T08:01:00.002-04:00

have u heard of the pout-pout fish?

with the pout-pout face?

who spreads the dreary-wearies all over the place?

its a wonderful childrens book, which very recently made its way to our house via borders bookstore.

*e* loves the book and we have to read it over and over and over and over again. its written on ryhme and the pictures are very cute and funny. *e* loves to "read" with us and helps finish the sentences. she also loves to read the book to her stuffed animals. of course she does not read yet and yesterday i overheard her when she was sitting down with her stuffed friends; "im a pout-pout fish, with a pout-pout face, i spwead the dweawy-weawies evewywhewe". so much for the catchy ryhme.

we also have "pretty and the beast", and "winnie and pooh".

she gets the big picture, who cares about the details, right?

please help

2008-05-16T21:55:00.003-04:00

the thought of our involentary seperation is starting to get to me. the closer it gets to when we have to say goodbye, the more stressed and upset i get. i feel like a 3rd grader. all i want to do is pout and cry "its not fair".

im sure it will all work out and we will be fine, but damned it. im not fine right now. we tried to call lambda so see if we could sue someone (the american way, right). maybe we could take the uscis to court for disccrimination or something. come to find out, no one wants to touch this with a ten foot pole. where ever we turn the answer is the same; "there is nothing we can do to help." *e* is feeling the stress also and is becoming increasingly clingy and acts out with anger and oposition. i hope someday i get to tell *someone* what this is doing to our family.

if u have the time: hrc has premade letter u can send to the politician of ur choice. it will be too late for us, but maybe, in the future, some other family will be able to stay together because we took action.

apple jokesters

2008-05-15T16:39:00.006-04:00

ok, so if u read my wife kittylitter's blog, u might know that my iphone took an unexpected coffee bath on the way to the airport last week. it has left me dazed, confused, sad and lost. actually, the phone seemed to work ok after about 13 hrs of air conditioning treatment. it started up and i actually made a call with it. then, being the rocket scientist that i am, i figured id charge it.

what do i do? i plug it in and leave it on the counter next to the sink. next morning i wake up to a completely soaked phone, dripping from water. its completely dead now. as a doornail. i hate being such a space cadet.

so what is one to do when ruining a 400 dollar phone less than 5 months after getting it? try to blame it on someone else, of course. personal responsibility? fuck that.

a call to apple.

me: my phone doesnt turn on.

apple picker: really? must be the battery. we will send u a box to use to ship it to us. we will take a look at it.

me: (thinking to myself) great, whats the chance they wont smell the coffee or notice it has been under water for 12 hrs?

apple picker: we will send u special, certified tool to use to remove the sim card.

me: (thinking to myself - again) great, there is a tool. and all this time i have used a paperclip. i have probably fucked it up and they will void the warranty for opening the phone with anything other than this official tool. not to mention all the liquids i subjected it to.

two days later, there is the box. i look around for the official tool.

this is what they sent me.

no, ur eyes are not deceiving u. its a paperclip. but its an official paperclip i want u to know.

now whats the chance they will cover the repairs on the warranty?

who is there?

2008-05-03T15:20:00.006-04:00

ok, this is gonna be my "holier than thou"-post of the month. but i have been wondering about something for some time now and i feel like exploring it.

i have been chatting online since 1992. i started out with mirc chatting on the undernet and made a lot of *wonderful* friends there, some of whom i visited half way across the world and still stay in touch with over 15 years later, and some of whom i have never known as anything other than a screen name in a chatroom. i have then gone the route via messageboards and newsgroups to blogging where i am still somewhat of a newbie.

something that soon got very apparent after starting interacting with ppl online, was that many ppl (if not most ppl) are different personas online than they are in "real" life. i say real life like that because the sense that some ppl have that ppl they meet online arent real somehow. that the worlds and connections we make and maintain i cyberspace are any less real than the ones we make in the face-to-face world.

and when i say ppl are different personas online, i mean, some ppl might feel more free in exploring other sides of their personalities behind the safety of the keyboard and computer screen. u dont have to worry about the consequences of ur actions as much as u would have had to if u were interacting with ppl face-to-face. its liberating to think u can act in any way u want without having to answer to anyone for ur actions.

but another thing that also became apparent, but not for a while, was that it really is very hard to hide who u truly are, even online. as much of an actor one might be, as many lies as a person can tell or as much as a person tries to be someone they are not, somehow, sooner or later, the real persona starts to shine thru.

what really tickles my curiosity tho is how some ppl can just let go of their good (hopefully) senses, their manners and their compassion for other ppl just because they can. somehow the anonymity of the online world makes it easier for ppl to let go of (what i consider) their basic humanity. what is it that makes ppl think that it is ok to attack other ppl just because they can?

dont get me wrong. im the first to admit i a have a temper. i enjoy a good argument from time to time. but my view is that once u start using personal insults in ur argumentation, u have lost! it doesnt matter if the message is pure as snow, if u start degrading ur opponent or use personal traits or characteristics as a way of discrediting someone, thats it for u. its like shouting against the wind. all ppl will hear are ur insults and the message will get lost.

now, i have met some ppl that dont think twice about using this kind of behavior in face-to-face conversations. they havent been many and really far between. its a funny phenomenon tho, that there seems to be so many *more* ppl like this online. is it because ppl like that gravitate towards the anonymous communities they can find in cyber space to live out their hostile personality without facing the social stigma that comes from it? or can it be that ppl that are usually polite and well behaved somehow see it as appropriate to act differently just because their opponent cant be seen or touched. that if we cant see the hurt in someones eyes, if we cant see their tears or hear their cries, its ok to treat them badly? i dont know. it truly puzzles me.

the story "lord of the flies" comes to mind. kids without supervision, with no parental guidance or consequences. no one to chastise them for bad behaviour. faced with total freedom, some kids chose to let go of their humanity. to become savages. yet some kept their integrity. even when faced with the option to let it all go. faced with threats and hostile attacks, they stood their ground. they did the right thing. even if they didnt have to.

maybe im naive. maybe im an idiot. maybe u are naive. maybe u are an idiot.

but in the end, in my naive world, i will always strive to do the right thing.

see u there?

2008-05-01T14:47:00.002-04:00

so who will be going to gay day at disney world in a few weeks?

we will, we will

woohoo!

i cant frakkin *wait*!

what do the labor laws say?

2008-05-01T08:21:00.002-04:00

*e*: everyone is going to work. mommy goes to work, uncle bill goes to work, otto (the fish) goes to work too.

me: otto goes to work?! wow, im impressed! where does he work?

*e*: at the otto (auto) store.

me: *falls over laffing*

kaja

2008-04-29T20:03:00.004-04:00

a few weeks ago, while i was still in norway, the norwegian press reported on the death of a young girl. she was a bright, fun, responsible and respectable young woman, but as many ppl in their early 20s, she was also seeking. coming into her own. trying to find her place in the world. insecure about so many things. oh, how i remember.

unfortunately, this young woman was approached by a nice person. someone who represents an organization who preys on young, insecure, seeking ppl. a cult. they had a stand not far from her dorm. coincidence? i think not. this nice person offered a free personality test. free. no charge. not much is free anymore.

curiously, she accepted.

24 hrs later she was found dead in her dorm room.

took her own life.

next to her they found a personality test. and the results, given to her by the cult. devastating results. the test had "revealed" her personality to be deeply flawed.

of course there are ways to "fix" ur personality, according to this cult. through coursework. it will cost u money though. lots and lots of it. how do they know all this? the aliens told them. no...really...im not shittin ya. aliens.

too bad for kaja, she never made it long enuff to meet the aliens.

so ... a cult in waco gets burned to the ground. a cult in texas gets raided and all children gets taken away and put into foster care. the cult of scientology gets to operate freely around the world. gets spoken off in positive terms by popular role models and celebrities. the cult preys on our young and insecure. if it doesnt kill them right off the bat, it brain washes them and drains their bank accounts.

how wrong it is.

if u wanna know more:

the norwegian newspaper article

organization #1

organization #2

teflon brain?

2008-04-11T06:14:00.002-04:00

yesterday....

*e*: where do babies come from?
tg: (gulp) ummm.... well... (caught off guard) a mommy and a daddy comes together and they make a baby. (shit...not good...how do i incorperate all kinds of families? it didnt happen that way with tiger. how about two daddies...two mommies....one mommy....gasp....panic attack...im messing this up!)
*e*: can i have a cracker?
tg: (phew) yes, of course. (hope she is too young to understand the concept and that the mommy and daddy thing doesnt stick in her head as the only truth).

this morning...

(lets test what stuck from last nites conversation)

tg: *e*? where do babies come from?
*e*: babytown.

a couples meme

2008-04-05T16:52:00.002-04:00

1. how long have you been together? 6 years pluss change

2. who pursued who? kl was shameless. *giggles*

3. do you wear any type of wedding/commitment ring? if so, which hand? we have rings on our left ring fingers. they are white gold with "always * forever" engraved in nordic runes.

4. what was the hardest thing about learning to live together? blending cultures, crossing age barrier and for me to become a "step mother" to two teenagers before turning 30.

5. who takes longer to get ready in the morning? we are both pretty quick. id have to say *e* takes the longest.

6. do you usually eat breakfast together? on the weekends we usually do. on workdays kl eats at the office and i used to eat in my car. i know. not the healthiest and what a mess.

7. do you ever share clothes? we share pj's/comfy clothes.

8. who does most of the cooking? kl does. i just really hate to cook.

9. who usually takes out the trash? it depends. now i guess we both take the trash out in our own households.

10. if you have pets who usually does litter box or poop patrol? kl does. i can deal with ppl stuff. i dont do pet doo. altho i guess ill have to learn now that we are apart.

11. which one of you is more likely to answer the phone when it rings? whoever is closest to the phone will pick it up.

12. who's in charge of the remote if you're watching TV together? i usually am.

13. who usually drives when you go out together? it used to be kl, but after the tiger was born, i have become a bit of a control freak. so i drive now. mostly.

14. which one of you takes care of spiders and bugs that get into the house? i can deal with bugs. spiders are evil. i wont touch them (unless its so save the kids and kl is away.)

15. facing the bed, who sleeps on which side? im on the right, kl on left. we cant sleep any other way.

16. who usually checks the (postal) mailbox? mostly me since im either home first, or since tiger im home all day.

17. if something breaks or goes wrong in the house, which one of you is more likely to either fix it or call someone to fix it? kl and i are both fixers. kl makes the outsourcing tho.

18. who is generally the neater of you? we are both pretty messy. ack!

19. who handles the checkbook/pays the bills? kl does. in norway i suspect i will.

20. what was your last fight/disagreement about? how i get jealous that kl has all this freedom when we are gone and i get a green monster in my chest. (altho i know that all she does is work and get everything ready for our big move. being apart takes its toll on everyone).

21. when you slow dance together, who leads? we dont really dance. we have four left feet. mostly.

22. what do you love the most about your other half? i love her caring heart, her dedication and her strenght (which she sometimes doesnt know she has).

being thankful

2008-04-05T14:55:00.002-04:00

i have always had the utmost respect for single parents. its hard being the only one. when we knew we were facing months, maybe years apart as a family, this was what i focused on, and feared the most. as it turns out, its hard to be alone with the kids, but its even harder to be alone and apart from ur partner.

i think we were cocky and over confident going into this situation. i know i was. "we can do this. it will be alright". and we might, and it probably will be. but its *hard*. its a feeling of isolation. being outta the loop, not just with famliy and friends, but with each other.

it is in this kinda situation that it means *so* much to have friends that care. i wanna let u all know how *e* appreciated the cards she got for her birthday. being so far away, and missing mommy terribly, she absolutely loved watching the cards and listening to the songs. altho she didnt know all of the names, she said "thank u" and then the names as i read them to her.

i wanna thank my trusty reader (hi, sassy :o), and everyone else. it really means alot.

if i could vote

2008-04-04T11:04:00.002-04:00

i just became a hillary clinton fan. i dont care if she eats puppy dogs for breakfast. this statement seals the deal for me.

this is the first time i have heard a politician, or anyone for that matter, include immigration issues when discussing gay and lesbian rights. way to go hillary!

stolen online

2008-04-04T08:48:00.005-04:00

1) the phone rings. who are you hoping it is? kittylitter love!

2) when shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? here in norway u have to leave a deposit (coin) in the cart to use it. u get ur money back when u return the cart. way to make u haul it back to the store.

3) in a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? it depends

4) if abandoned in the wilderness, would you survive? id like to think id survive. old scout and all that.

5) do you like to ride horses? horses are big and scary

6) did you ever go to camp as a kid? yes. we always camped when we went on vacation somewhere.

7) what was your favorite board game as a kid?monopoly and risk

8) if a sexy person was pursuing you but you knew he/she was taken, what would you do? id tell them to go divorce their alcoholic husband first and then.....wait....i think ive already done that. oops.

10) would you date someone with different religious beliefs? yup, i think....unless they were fanatic one way or the other.

11) are you continuing your education? i really dont want to start my doctorates....im learned out.

12) do you know how to shoot a gun? yes

13) if the house was on fire, what's the first thing you'd grab? fire extinguisher?

14) how often do you read books? i used to read all the time when i was a kid. as i grew and reading for school became more and more work, i got fed up and stopped reading for pleasure.

15) do you think more about the past, present or future? its all abot the future

16) what is your favorite children's book? i cant pick just one. i think i read all the books at the library as a kid.

17) how tall are you?5' 5".

18) where is your ideal house located? i love the lillehammer area, now that im banished from the good ole us of a.

19) last person you talked to? my sister who is sitting on the floor playing play-dooh with *e*

20) when was the last time you were at olive garden? few months ago with kl...it sucked

21) what are the keys on your key chain for? new key chain after the move, has only house key and key to shed.

22) what did you do last night? fed the kids, bathed the kids, put the kids to bed, read blogs, ate some chips, fed baby - again - .....

23) where is your current pain at the moment? in my ass. he is bouncing on aunt *h*'s knee right now.

24) do you like mustard? no

25) do you like your mom or dad? mostly

26) how long does it take you in the shower? as long as i feel safe leaving the kids alone. im lucky if i get hair and body washed in the same session.

27) what movie do you want to see right now? in the valley of elah

28) do you put lotion on your dog or cats? only if they misbehave...wtf?

29) what did you do for new years? had dinner with family then set of fireworks.

30) do you think the grudge was scary? never saw it

31) do you own a camera phone? yes, i luuuv my iphone

32) what is the last letter of your middle name? e

33) who did you vote for on american idol? carrie underwood. havent watched since then

meet uncle bob

2008-03-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

its not easy being a (mainly) english speaking pre-schooler in norway. like many other youngens, *e* has trouble with her "r"s and her "l"s, both of them sounding like a choked up "w".

*e*'s aunt h, has a boyfriend with the name of kjell-arne. i will give u three tries to try and pronounce this to the best of ur ability. then i will turn around and laff my ass off. add to ur troubles the inability to pronounce the letter "l" and u have a complete mess on ur hands. *e* has such problems with his name that she gave up and started calling him "aunt h's friend".

last nite i asked her if his name was too difficult and she nodded. aunt h asked if maybe we should try to call him something else, thinking we could shorten his name or "americanize" it to something like kai or just simply k. before aunt h is able to say anything more, *e* jumps at the idea, and promptly exclaims:

"lets call him bob".

welcome to norway

2008-03-23T03:16:00.003-04:00

so, since we got here we have had rain...rain...rain....grey, wet, sad, soggy rain.

then we had fog. thick, wet, cold, goopy fog that u can cut with a knife.

today we have sun (woohoo!)

and

-20 c degrees (-4 f).

brrrr

its only been a week

2008-03-13T16:43:00.001-04:00

but already i am missing my wife so much. i dunno how i will be able to do this. i feel so damned sorry for myself.

*sniff*

*sniff*

the homosexual agenda

2008-03-10T16:09:00.004-04:00

i keep reading about the homosexual or gay agenda and how it is supposed to destroy life on earth as we know it. the last sighting of this agenda was, apparently, by state rep. sally kern of oklahoma and obviously it scared her shitless. so shitless, in fact, that she had to make a speech and following, a video on youtube. go, sally!

now, im gay, but unfortunately, i have never been sent this agenda. i am a member of hrc and everything. all i got was an equality sticker. no agenda, no memo, no nothing.

can someone please let me know where i sign up to recieve this agenda. the kids run my life and i could use the change and excitement that comes from destroying a society or two.

give it to me straight, mom

2008-03-06T14:28:00.004-05:00

sitting in car, waiting for green light:

e (almost 4): we are going on an airplane today.
me (much older): yes we are.
e: what makes the plane go up?
me: the wings do that (trying to not get too technical).
e: but, how?
me: the wind blows on the wings and that makes the airplane go up in the air (there, i think thats about the reach of ur understanding)
e: but, why?
me: the wind does it, e.
e: but why does the wind do that?! (getting frustrated).
me: (ok....u asked for it kid) the wing of the airplane is made a little bigger on the top, so when the plane goes really fast, the air has to pass over a larger area. the difference in distance makes the air have to go faster on the top of the wing, this creates a difference in air pressure. the lower air pressure on the top of the wing, sucks the airplane up in the air.
e: ooooohhh.....i gotcha.

for all the rest of us, i recommend howstuffworks.com.

call me a rebel

2008-03-05T13:15:00.002-05:00

kittylitter turns 5 oh today, but doesnt want anyone to know. she has a thing about birthdays, she gets real uncomfortable with a lot of attention. but now its out there.

happy birthday, love.

who knew

2008-02-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

...moving a household including 2 kids, 2 dogs and a cat would take so much time, energy, planning and preparation. just selling the house is a full time job and a half.

we arent at all prepared to sell the house. we need to fix up the kitchen, paint the hallway, paint all the ceilings (pesky little water stains) and paint the upstairs bathroom. for starters.

today they came to dig up the underground oil tank.

*e* sat in the window and watched as the "snort" dug a big hole. then she fell down between the windowsill and the couch. silly kid.

we have officially begun the moving journey.

when life blindsides u

2008-02-19T09:55:00.003-05:00

or "how u know u been fucked"

when kl and i met over 6 years ago, we knew we had a lot of obstacles to overcome. and not just the usual ones like who gets to sleep on what side of the bed or who gets to shower first in the morning. we had the added on fun of immigration laws to consider.

let me try to explain

a person who is not an american citizen who wants to settle in the usa for a longer or shorter period of time, needs a sponsor. the sponsor is basically a person or an entity who takes on the financial responsibility of the alien (yes alien, its such a dignifying and respectful term) in case the alien should not be able to take care of themselves. the gods know we dont want these ppl to become a burden to society (but as long as they clean our houses or empties our septic tanks they are ok i guess). since the lovely land of usa is a very scared and paranoid country (and i mean government wise, most ppl i have met are lovely, caring and very understanding, dont get me wrong), not just anyone can be a sponsor. the sponsor has to be a family member (and no, kids under 18 do not count as family members, dont ask me why), or an employer. oh and to be sponsored by an employer they have to prove that the alien can do something an american cant do (cause we dont want the alien to take jobs away from a true american citizen unless of course they want to clean our houses or empty our potties).

also, same sex partners do not count as family members. isnt it lovely? even if u live in a state that recognizes gay marriage, or civil unions or infact has gay marriage rights. cause u gotta know the immigration laws are federal and there is the pesky little "protection of marriage act" that sort of puts the cabash on having ur life partner with whom u have 2 children, a house, car, 2 dogs and a cat, sponsor u.

sooo...where does that leave a poor gay alien?

in the shit house, thats where.

when the job u have had for 3 years, from which u are now on maternity leave, decides it would rather not take the trouble of signing a handful of forms that ur (highly paid) lawyer has prepared, but rather drop off the face of the earth, not returning phone calls, not answering email and declining face-to-face meeting, ur left with nothing but two empty hands and a really messy situation.

that is when u know u have been fucked.

especially since above mentioned job/employer sat down with u 15 months ago swearing to help in the process of continuing sponsorship, a green card no less, which basically gives u the right to stay forever. based on said conversation and promises u go ahead and make a huge investment. taking all of ur savings (wasnt much anyway) and even put urself in debt just to find that less than a year later ull have to walk away from it, basically giving u the sense of having flushed ur financial future down the toilet.

now what?

well...

its not like we have a lot of options. i will take the kids and move to norway. kl will have to stay here and work off some debt.

sucks?

ass!

yes, indeedy

but other ppl do it. poor soldiers get sent off all the time, being separated from their families, going to a place where they dont know if they will return from. at least we have a safe place to go to as much as it will suck to be apart. and we can still visit. and talk on the phone. and see eachother on the webcam. and thanks to the slingbox i dont have to miss the end of the "lost" season. woohoo!

but

just cause we can tolerate the situation, just cause i dont have to miss "lost", doesnt make this right. it doesnt make it right for a 4 year old and a 5 month old to have to leave their other parent behind half a world away. doesnt make it right to split up a family just so some ppl can have the right to "not recognize" a relationship. my family is a family just like everybody elses and i dont really give a fuck if u "recognize" it or not. my kids should have the same right to be able to live with both of their parents. its an oxymoron to me that u can allow gay adoption but not secure the right for both parents to live in the same country. does that even make one ounce of sense? (and no, im not saying, take away gay adoption! thats not the answer, shithead).

is there anything i can do, u might ask (or u might just be tired of reading and wonder when the hell i will shut up).

yes, please help.

please.

not so much for us, but for all the other bi-national gay couples out there. there is a law pending (and pending and pending). its called the "uniting american families act", u can read about it here.

please let ppl know about this law. email ur friends, ur family. put it up on ur blogs. encourage other ppl to put it in their blogs. start making phonecalls. call whoever u think will listen and whoever u think can make a difference (u can even try a politician or two). most ppl i have talked to about this situation do not know about the injustice that is being done to binational gay couples. yes, there is injustice for all gays in many different areas, but ... i guess this one is just close to my heart for some odd reason or another.

dont be afraid of using our family as an example. if u want more details (or u wanna buy me a green card (believe it or not, with the right amount of money u can do that!)) please do not hesitate to email me at alterrigo at gmail dot com.

and thank u for taking the time to read this loooong post (i do not blame u if u dropped out half way thru).

thats all i have to say about that.

fuck

2008-02-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

just

fuck

sleep

2008-02-14T12:43:00.000-05:00

have u ever been so tired, you feel like ur on the outside looking in on ur life?

oy vey

educating the world

2008-02-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

so the world is going to hell in a handbasket

according to the programme for international student assessment (pisa), norwegian students suck.

and apparently 20 % of americans cant locate their own country on a world map.

many people have offered their help in explaining this lack of knowledge.

i present to u, here today, the solution.

make this the only curriculum in 8th grade. know it, recite it, teach it to ur parents.

what would the world do without me?

no, no, really, no thanks required.

rules i live by

2008-02-12T10:58:00.000-05:00

never assume anything

never trust someone who says "trust me"

if u dont want to hear the answer; dont ask

i knew it

2008-02-11T17:05:00.000-05:00

people piss me off

my next life i want to be a seahorse

wait

i dont believe in next life

fuck