STRAIGHT BUT NOT NARROW

I get impatient when I hear people bringing up the "sanctity of marriage" whenever gay rights is discussed (discussed is a much more polite term for some of the yelling and screaming which is actually what can occur. isn't it?).

Does a gay couple having the right to be wed somehow affect the 50% divorce rate of regular hetrosexual marriages?

With the great majority of people having sex before and outside of marriage, who is keeping track of how many of them just might be of the same sex? 

I believe in marriage -- and the old-fashioned no-sex outside of marriage, till-death-do-us-part deal -- and I even believe in the one man, one woman bit.

But allowing a homosexual couple to be legally bound, to have the same spousal rights as I have, doesn't threaten my marriage.

If the sanctity of marriage is your beef, then please, before you jump on gays trying to get married, work on troubled marriages - consider spousal abuse - address abused children.  Worry about the couples who get hitched for 48 hours and then get divorced. Talk about people who are married 3, 4, 7 times.

While my definition of sleeping together generally means the cat and two dogs are on my bed, I can accept that with most of American society, that means having sex. And going steady means having sex. Heck, even dating means having sex.

Can anyone consider that THIS is affecting marriage, or what we define as marriage, so much more than gay marriage?

This is more than a little bit babbling, but I hope you are seeing my point.

POLITICIANS, SHUT UP AND LISTEN FOR A CHANGE

I'm constantly amazed at how much energy goes into shouting.

If everyone could put down their verbal sabers, and actually work on accomplishing  something, we could get quite a lot down.

But that's without the screaming about who is right and who is wrong (i.e. us and them).


If everyone could work together for the common good instead of their individual piece of the pie.

But that's putting aside the special interests that got you elected and are gonna get you re-elected.

If everyone could at least pretend to be adults and meet and discuss and COMPROMISE.


Which is not a heinous, filthy concept - it's called doing our best.

BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID

I did something last night that I haven't done in a long time.

I screamed.

I mean, I really SCREAMED.

I grabbed a towel when I was finished bathing, and a huge black spider suddenly appeared on my arm.

But why do we scream?

Wikipedia taught me a new word, vociferation, by explaining that "when frightened, human beings tend to yelp, or cry out... to convey fear and to call attention to themselves, increasing the possibility of receiving assistance from others."

It also stated that "this action also serves as a possible defense tactic, as shouting may frighten off an assailant or cause them to falter, allowing a chance to escape."

(Believe me, this spider wasn't frightened at all.)

I must admit that I have screamed right at the moment of... well, let's pass that one by.

But it's like when we automatically cover our ears when there is a huge BOOM.

We run from danger without really thinking about it.

We duck when someone begins shooting at us.

And when the movie music moves to a minor key, when the repeating bass note becomes louder and louder, when we hear something like this...

That is when we KNOW something is coming out of the dark and we ARE going to scream.

At least when you are a scaredy-cat like me.

JUST LITTLE TIDBITS

My granddaughter began singing a song today that she had learned at preschool ("He's Got The Whole Word In His Hands"), and was astonished when I began to sing it with her right away.

My grandson has been learning pick-up lines at age 6 - his favorite one is "Do you know how much a polar bear weighs? Enough to break the ice!"

My daughter is an aggressive driver - wait, I think "aggressive" is too soft a description. She learned to drive on the East Coast, and is the one who always needs to be in front, will not allow anyone to pass her, and is always the first one in line anywhere. -- And today I (unfortunately) followed her example and forced my way into a McDonald's drive-thru. (It also helped that I was driving her Ford Explorer, which is roughly the same size as M1 Abrams Army tank).

Kate can scream without taking a breath for nine seconds. Time it yourself and try it - I can't do it. (And did you know that the Hawaiian word 'haole' also means "no breath"?)

The cat has discovered that if he threatens to poop on the carpet, I will race and clean his litter box. Another fine example of human training, and how good felines are at it.