Michigan's voters passed a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage "or similar union for any purpose." Because of that, the state supreme court has now ruled that no public agency can extend any benefits to domestic partners (e.g., to gay couples, who, of course, cannot get married in Michigan).

The irony is twofold. First, though the amendment was touted by "pro-family" organizations, among those hurt by the ruling are the children living in households of gay couples.   Sorry, not only do we not recognize your adoptive parents as your "real" parents, but you can't have health insurance, either. A bigger irony is that the "pro-family" folks who proposed and got Amendment 2 pushed through claimed again and again and again that this was not about "benefits," that beneifts would never be taken away, it was simply about protecting the "M" word from those nassssty gay people.

I wonder if the "Citizens for the Protection of Marriage" can be sued by the couples so affected.

Meanwhile, the Maryland supreme court has ruled that, regardless of Islamic law, a guy can't summarily divorce his wife by simply repeating "I divorce you" three times - certainly not in order to avoid having to divide up the (in this case sizeable) estate.

Maybe he'll sue that his freedom of religion is being infringed ...

Filed under :: Gay Stuff :: Love and Marriage :: Politics & Law :: Religion
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One of the side joys of having a spouse who enjoys wordplay, esp. of the bawdy kind, is that we can be having quite suggestive conversations and repartee without our young'un following along.

An eventual follow-up joy is that we'll be able to embarrass her greatly once she is able to follow along.

Double entendres -- the gifts that keep giving.

Filed under :: Love and Marriage :: Parenting :: Writing and Language
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1. Shamos: Why e-voting paper trails are a bad idea | The Iconoclast - politics, law, and technology - CNET News.com - Are e-voting paper trails actually useful, or desirable? I think what the whole e-voting thang has raised is how secure (or insecure) our voting process is, and what risks we need to take (and which we need to work on reducing).
2. When the Ex Blogs, the Dirtiest Laundry Is Aired - New York Times - I don't know if it's a good thing, or a bad thing, that my divorce from Cheryl was in pre-blogging days.
3. The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure DVD news: Announcement for DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures | TVShowsOnDVD.com - This makes me sooooooo happy! The SAHoA was dearly beloved by me as a child -- esp. for all the non-Superman/Aquaman bits, which is what this DVD set will collect. Glee!
4. BMWSportTouring Forums: Space Shuttle Processing: Rarely seen by the general public - How to assemble a space shuttle for lauch. Cool. (via GeekPress)
5. The Art of the Title Sequence - This looks like an extraordinarily cool site, looking at TV/movie title sequence. Pretty. (via kottke)

Filed under :: Blogging :: Love and Marriage :: Media :: Media - Cartoons :: Politics & Law :: Potpourri :: Science
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Yes, it's been thirteen years since Abraham Lincoln married the most wonderful woman in the world. Oh, wait, that's me, not Abe. But Margie's still just as wonderful, if not moreso.

In time the Rockies may crumble,
Gibraltar may tumble,
They're only made of clay.
Our love is here to stay. 

Happy Anniversary, my love.

Filed under :: Love and Marriage
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DAVE: You do know that I love your mother madly and passionately. Little hearts circle my head whenever I look at her.

KATHERINE: Hmmmmm, let me see .... YEAH." [For "YEAH" substitute an emphatic "DUH" to properly capture the inflection and tone.]

Filed under :: Love and Marriage
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Various studies indicate that while it's a good thing to have "date nights" with your spouse, it's an even better thing to have "date nights" doing something new.

The theory is based on brain science. New experiences activate the brain’s reward system, flooding it with dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the same brain circuits that are ignited in early romantic love, a time of exhilaration and obsessive thoughts about a new partner. (They are also the brain chemicals involved in drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder.)

Most studies of love and marriage show that the decline of romantic love over time is inevitable. The butterflies of early romance quickly flutter away and are replaced by familiar, predictable feelings of long-term attachment.

But several experiments show that novelty — simply doing new things together as a couple — may help bring the butterflies back, recreating the chemical surges of early courtship.

Various experiments that, at least in the short term, doing non-typical or novel things on a regular basis on with the other half of your couple seemed to increase the perceived quality of the relationship.

Dr. Aron cautions that novelty alone is probably not enough to save a marriage in crisis. But for couples who have a reasonably good but slightly dull relationship, novelty may help reignite old sparks.

Not that all relationships are doomed to ennui over the short haul. Aside from anecdotal evidence (say, Margie and me), there's some neurological proof:

And recent brain-scan studies show that romantic love really can last years into a marriage. Last week, at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Albuquerque, researchers presented brain-scan data on several men and women who had been married for 10 or more years. Interviews and questionnaires suggested they were still intensely in love with their partners. Brain scans confirmed it, showing increased brain activity associated with romantic love when the subjects saw pictures of their spouses.

It’s not clear why some couples are able to maintain romantic intensity even after years together. But the scientists believe regular injections of novelty and excitement most likely play a role.

“You don’t have to swing from the chandeliers,” Dr. Fisher said. “Just go to a new part of a town, take a drive in the country or better yet, don’t make plans, and see what happens to you.”

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety 

But

Remember: It's only kinky the first time. 

Happy Valentines Day, love.

Filed under :: Love and Marriage :: Science
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Happy Valentines Day!

(via the ever-popular Acme Heart Maker) 

Filed under :: Love and Marriage :: Parenting
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In what other family could I be sitting at table on a Monday night, eating some great steak and cottage potatoes, drinking some excellent Hansen Zinfandel, and discussing amongst all three of us the origin of Spider-Man's black costume and who the participants were in the Marvel Secret Wars?

I love these people.

Filed under :: Food & Drink :: Love and Marriage :: Media - Comics :: Parenting
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So, how did I do with last year's resolutions for 2007?

Spend at least as much time with Kitten. Preferably more “quality time” — getting her involved with stuff at home, and being more involved in some of her other activities. She’s growing up into a fine young lady that I want to spend time with.

Well, something that was already in the works last year, but which came into fruition in 2007, was the whole karate thing.  That's been a lot of fun, and good exercise, but most importantly it's something we've been able to share.

Beyond that -- I keep trying.  I'm going to call this a hit.

Keep the house in a bit more order — a bit tidier, pursue projects and maintenance a bit more diligently, etc. This is going to mean (gasp) maybe doing a bit less of other activities. These sorts of things work better as routine, so I need to figure out how to do that in a flexible fashion.

We finished up some big projects, but I don't know that our overall "organization" has gotten any better.  Gotta deem this a miss.

Write. Edit. Write. Yeah, yeah. Need to think of some good strategies here, though, that don’t involved Daily Stuff — because my Daily Stuff queue is pretty much full.

Near zilcho in the writing department.  I've been hit-or-miss on the 100 Words stuff, and I set up a special blog to cover things, but it's just been (despite a novel bubbling in the back of my brain) something I've simply not taken the time or energy to pursue.  A disappointing miss.

Be fit. Keep the weight off, exercise more, and walk 1,500 miles to nowhere. Heck, how’s this — drop down to 185 by the end of the year. There’s an (un-)stretch goal for you! Or, more precisely, for me. But one I believe I can reach.

I actually hit my 1,500 miles to nowhere, and in the last few days of the year.  After a very lackadaisical spring and summer, I (ahem) hit my stride and caught up with that.

I also seriously started exercising more (and stretching), via my karate class begun in February.

As to the weight ...

Well, the good news is, I did actually get down to below 195 or so in March.  The bad news is, I've not been at all diligent about tracking my weight, though still trying to maintain a modicum of good habits (but further hampered by losing my Geek Diet technical platform).  Which means, my 31 December end-of-the-year weigh-in was .... 210 (approximately).

Hrm.

I'm going to call this a hit, if only because I feel like I'm more fit than I was, though I can also feel the pounds regaining. 

And, lest I forget, this addendum resolution:

And, it should go without saying (but I say it nonetheless) that I resolve to be the bestest partner, lover, hubby and friend to Margie, the most wonderful woman in the world.

Well, I've certainly given that one the ol' college try, and she keeps telling me I'm doing it, so I have to trust her (admittedly biased) judgment and call this a hit.

So -- 3-2, in favor of hits (or even 2.5-2.5 if we split the Fitness one).  That's not too bad.

Now ... what about next year ...

Filed under :: Karate :: Love and Marriage :: Parenting :: Personal :: Weight :: Writing and Language
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Margie's family is in Wikipedia.  To wit, the entry on "With Every Heartbeat."

"With Every Heartbeat" is the second UK single released from Swedish pop singer-songwriter Robyn's 2005 self-titled album. A collaboration with Kleerup, it was released as a non-album single in Sweden and reached number 18. With Every Heartbeat Video Clip

A physical single was released in the UK on 6 August 2007. It was named as both Jo Whiley's and Scott Mills' "Record of the Week" and has been A-Listed on BBC's Radio 1. Robyn performed the song live on Radio 1 during the Jo Whiley show (although hosted by Sara Cox at the time) on 8 August, 2007. It has also received strong support by Popjustice.

The "Kleerup" referenced is Margie's Nth cousin, Andreas Kleerup, one of the "Sweden" Kleerups.  This is much more impressive if you realize that there are probably all of a dozen or so "Kleerups" in the world (and I've met all the ones in the US, I believe).

The single release cover art (above) is interesting.  According to Jim, Andreas was impressed that my brother Eric's alarm system showed their last name on it, so he took a picture of it, which then got turned into the "KLEERUP" LED display cover.

Kleerup (Andreas) has a MySpace page (where you can listen to the tune in question, along with others).  Interestingly, over thanksgiving I got an e-mail from his music company (or perhaps his agent) asking about my ownership of the kleerup.com domain.  I suggested back that he get in touch with Jim & Ginger (since they're the ones I maintain the domain for; I'm sure we could work something out), but they've not heard anything as yet.

So ... my most recent brush (very indirectly) with fame.

Filed under :: Love and Marriage :: Media - Music
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