Grandfather

My grandfather from Venezuela died yesterday evening August 19, 2010. It hurts that I couldn't hold his hand as he died. I would have retold him the story of Jesus and held his hand with my little girls caressing him. He only got to meet my oldest daughter when she was about 1yr old. It has been too expensive to fly out to Venezuela. We never saved for a time like this.

My grandmother is still alive. I don't know how much time she has left. I hope I get to go to her funeral, even if I have to leave my girls behind with my sister. I don't know. The plane tickets are $1,300.00 a piece. I need to start praying right now that I could go with my girls so that my grandmother could meet them. It is such a sad thing when a loved one dies.

My grandfather didn't have much money but he never came home from errands empty handed. He always had gum or candy for me and my cousin. And every time the ice cream man walked by jingling his bells my grandfather always bought us a little cup of ice cream.

I remember he would sit on the patio in his rocking chair. I was little and I wondered what he was chewing on; he used to tell me he was eating cockroaches. It was really chewing tobacco. He would spit that stuff out and then he would offer me "his bag of cockroaches". I would always refuse. My uncles would be out there on the patio with him and smoking there cigarettes helping him fool with me some way.

Oh but I sure miss him. I wish I would have gotten to hang out with him some more in his old age. The last time I went my oldest was 1yr old and I would sit out there on that patio with him and be silent but try to spark up a conversation with him. He was too old to really converse with well.

It just would have been nice if he would have met my other daughters and seen how my oldest had grown. I hope not to have to repeat this same grief with my grandmother.

By the way my grandparents are real hamick lovers. I got this most recent picture of him in his hamick. Thank God I have this picture.

Jose- Luis Ledesma

You can also see my grandmother in her hamick here. It was a post I did of her several weeks ago but I later added the picture because I didn't have it at the time of the original posting.


May the only wise God grant you His wisdom for every part of your life.

Life Stuff & Great Blog Home Tour Craft Area

It looks like the blood transfusion was a success…I got blood work today and my red blood cell numbers went from an 8.5 (low) to a 10.1 (normal)…I’ve felt like I’ve had more energy…they will check it again next week to make sure it stays up and then I think I’m on my own…

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I also had an appointment with my radiation doctor today and set up a tentative plan…I’m getting a PET scan tomorrow morning…a CT scan on Sept 1st, and from those results she will determine where they will focus the radiation…she said it is her job to treat the places that she thinks could possibly become cancerous with the least amount of treatment…

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I’m working on my post updating my 101 things list and am excited about my progress…I’m also starting a new book/workbook and want to share that will you as well…

but first…

here is my craft area for the

I set up this area a little over 6 months ago and showed it here but I’ve added to the wall and have some new followers since then so I thought I’d share again…hope you don’t mind…

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Here is an overview…

 

I used some old frames my former roommate had saved from the trash for me and bought some fun print paper at my local craft area to line them…

 

I also found the big letters at the craft store on CLEARENCE baby!

 

this is an old cart where I keep paper and stuff…the top I use to put the things I’m getting ready to mail…I cleaned it off just for this picture (don’t worry it is not always this clean)…

 

My work top…

I got the table at a yard sale for 5 dollars…the spice rack keeps all my little bits and pieces like brads, buttons, and beads ect, it is PERFECT and I love it…The nice lamp was a birthday present from a good friend…and the cracker jar and pink scale were other great yard sale finds…

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I found a way to display my decorated matchboxes using the letter holders from old scrabble games I find at thrift stores…they fit just perfect…and the tiles that are left over are good to use in crafts…I also love how the clothespins look holding the postcards…I just hot glued them to the wall (and it comes off cleanly, I think we have a bit of a gloss on the wall which helps) can you believe the fragile looking pink/leafy postcard made it all the way from the Philippines to here without getting dirty or ripped…an angel must have been protecting it…

This is a fun vintage piece I found at a yard sale for 5 dollars…I love the feel of the legs…I think if I could I would have all my furniture look 50’s…Inside I keep stamps, blank cards…and that ugly misc stuff everyone has…and the top was perfect for mom’s plants…

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Hope you enjoyed seeing my space whether it is your first or third time seeing it *wink, wink*

  Until Later

Afternoon View - Hillside Check-In Cabin

I've just arrived with my loyal companions Aaron and Chris for three days under the trees at Hillside Campground in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. The guys in this photo have had the site next to ours for the last three summers and we always seem to get here at the same time. It's 75 and completely clear, which bodes for a quite chilly evening, as summer nights so often are up on the mountain. Do they make electric sleeping bags?

UPDATE: I've added a photo of our new tent, which much to Chris' everlasting frustration has more ropes and material than we know what to do with. Experience tells us that this will vex him mightily all weekend.

Whining About The Protest At Porno Pete LaBarbera's Hate Academy

From one of Porno Pete's Christofascist supporters.

The Sneaky Ting Tings

If you'd like to hear Hands, the new single by popular dance duo the Ting Tings, you must first "like" them on Facebook, which of course tells your friends that you "like" them. And if you want to hear the remix of Hands (and what fan wouldn't?) you must unlock the mix by sharing it to your page. Clever, clever. Never seen this before.

Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury

Obviously NSFW for the audio. Unrelated to and contrary to what you'd expect of someone getting such a tribute as this song, earlier this week Bradbury decried modern technology. "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many Internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."

HomoQuotable - Mark Leno

"This bill simply affirms that California is a diverse state, and that we can all co-exist and make space for each others' beliefs without compromising the tenets of any religious group or individual. With the recent federal court ruling, we know that marriage for same-sex couples in California is on the horizon. Under the Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act, churches and clergy members who fear their religious views are threatened by marriage equality will have clear and solid protections under state law. In addition, churches that welcome same-sex couples will continue to fully recognize those families within their faith." - California state Sen. Mark Leno, on the state Assembly's passage of his bill guaranteeing that no member of the clergy will ever be forced to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony against their wishes.

Leno's bill has the backing of Equality California and will be signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger after a concurrence vote in the state Senate, who first approved the item in May.

Rachel Maddow On Iraq Withdrawal

Well, that was a few trillion well spent. Thanks, Dubya.

Signorile: Why Won't HRC Change Target's Corporate Equality Rating?

While the Human Rights Campaign has come out uncharacteristically forcefully against Target, the company continues to enjoy a 100% rating on HRC's lauded Corporate Equality Index. Yesterday HRC's Fred Sainz told Michelangelo Signorile that it's just too complicated to change the Index right now. Signorile:

Sainz went onto again explain how complicated it supposedly is to change the Corporate Equality Index criteria (something he told me a week earlier when I had him on the show) and how the group is trying to “grapple” with the new changes since the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United and that they don’t want to make a "knee-jerk" response and that they are working it through but in a "thoughtful” manner. That’s all well and good, but the boycott is now, and as it goes on, HRC is still telling people to shop at Target.

Listen to Signorile's interview with HRC's Fred Sainz.

UPDATE: HRC has issued the following response in which they state that both Target and Best Buy will be removed from their list.

The recent political contributions by Target and Best Buy are cause for reflection on the criteria used for future editions of the Corporate Equality Index (CEI). While considering all of this, it’s important to keep in mind that the CEI has made a tremendous impact in the real lives of LGBT people in large part because it has been a predictable and transparent roadmap for companies to institute fair workplace policies. Instead of making capricious decisions about scoring criteria, we believe that a responsible consideration of all of the facts is the smartest way to move forward.

Already complicated, the Citizens United decision has made campaign finance issues even more complex. HRC is thoughtfully studying the many ramifications of political giving by companies in this new reality. The CEI, upon which the Buyer’s Guide is based, was completed in June 2009. Under that set of criteria, both Target and Best Buy scored 100 percent. The Buyer’s Guide available on our website was released in November 2009 and is representative of the information known to us at the time. Because we understand the impact of leaving Target and Best Buy on the various products associated with the Buyer’s Guide, both companies will soon be removed from it. HRC will not encourage people to shop at either store and believes that consumers should make their own decisions after careful consideration of all of the information available to them.

Bigotry Special At Target

Queer Rising made a customer service announcement at a Target in Madison, Wisconsin, much to the annoyance of store management.

Today In Teabagger Music Videos II

Today In Teabagger Music Videos

Complete with shots of lower Manhattan. Sample YouTube comment:

Ok all you athiest fags who have nothing better to do than try and slander good people can go eat shit. Here' a question for all those libtard butwimps, why did you look up this song if you hate us so much? I know why, because you are too cowardly to say any of this to real men and women's faces so you look for a Christian video to prove yourself to people who aren't staring you in the face. Close enough? You people can kiss me ass! BRING IT ON FAGETS!!!

Musically, it's actually not terrible.

Sarah Palin Retweets Homocon Tammy Bruce In Defense Of Dr. Laura

Do you think Palin knows that Tammy Bruce is a big ole lesbian? Strange, strange bedfellows in Teabagistan these last few days, huh?

OMD - If You Want It

From the coming album History Of Modern. This is OMD's first release since 1996's Universal. My all-time favorite OMD single remains 1984's Talking Loud And Clear.

Morning View - Union Square

Photo Of The Day - Kylie's Happy Bear

The Advocate reports that Facebook took down Kylie Minogue's self-posted photo as too raunchy. A Facebook rep told the disco pixie: "We do not allow photos that contain nudity, drug use or violence." It's just a microphone, kids.

Howard Dean Compares "Civil Unions Compromise" To Mosque Controversy

Dean thinks the downtown NYC mosque should be located elsewhere, a "good reasonable compromise" he compared to the creation of civil unions when he was governor of Vermont.

NOM Loses Again In Maine

NOM has lost yet another court battle to cloak the names of their donors in Maine.

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said Thursday his group is disappointed in the ruling, but feels its arguments will hold sway with an appeals court. NOM will pursue an expedited appeal to the U.S. First Circuit Court in Boston, he said, because of the short time before the upcoming election season. Though Thursday's decision will delay NOM's plans for political activity in Maine, Brown said, the group is reviewing the decision to gauge a potential timeline for action. NOM plans activity in Maine both on behalf of candidates that support "redefining marriage," said Brown, and on candidates that support traditional marriage.

He declined to say whether NOM would be active in the state's governor's race, as well as the legislative races. Brown also expressed frustration at the legal hurdles spurred by what he called "frivolous" lawsuits filed by their political opponents, one of which, Californians Against Hate, asked the Maine ethics commission to investigate NOM. That group, one of the primary advocates for preserving California's gay marriage law that was repealed by voters there in 2009, questioned whether NOM raised more than $5,000 to directly repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law.

It's not a complete win for the good guys, however, as the judge also ruled some parts of Maine's campaign finance disclosure laws to be "unconstitutionally vague" and struck down the requirement that donations over $250 be reported within 24 hours.

Arch Homophobe Matt Barber Follows "Shemalevideos" On Twitter?

I noticed a rather interesting Twitter user on Liberty Counsel attorney Matt Barber's follow list last night. (I added his photo to the screen capture.) Fascinating. Like Matt Barber, I follow lots of my enemies on Twitter, but I don't feel the need to follow straight porn sites to know what the haters are up to.

Yale Researchers Discover What Circuit Boys Knew Fifteen Years Ago

Researchers at Yale have published a study touting the horse tranquilizer Ketamine as an effective anti-depressant at low doses. The drug's make-happy effect begins almost immediately, unlike regular anti-depressants which can take weeks to work.

Ketamine, a general anesthetic usually administered to children and pets but perhaps best known as a horse tranquilizer, is also highly effective in low doses as an anti-depressant, according a study published Thursday. Researchers at Yale University wrote in the August 20 issue of the journal Science that unlike most anti-depressants on the market which can take weeks to take full effect ketamine can begin to counter depression in hours. "It's like a magic drug -- one dose can work rapidly and last for seven to 10 days," said Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale and senior author of the study. The researchers noted that ketamine was tested as a rapid treatment for people with suicidal thoughts. Traditional anti-depressants can take several weeks to take effect, they noted.

A similar study at the National Institute of Mental Health found that 70% of patients who did not respond to traditional anti-depressants improved within hours of receiving Ketamine. Let's hope the ridiculous War On Drugs doesn't stifle this breakthrough. But don't rush out to self-medicate either, Ketamine remains a Schedule III drug in the U.S. with a penalty for possession of up to five years in prison.