Archives for September 2005

Oh, well. All the DPNs in the world didn’t quite get it done…. But you all are amazing. And we were told that had it been a question of $20,000 to $30,000 difference, they would have taken the loss and chosen us, because they loved the letters we wrote. We wanted to keep the little wagon-wheel cottage as it was. We didn’t mind that the water wasn’t connected to the bathroom sink or that the electrical needed a complete overhaul or that the disclosures ran to 108 pages.

But the difference in offers was way WAY more than that (I’m guessing that it was at least $75,000 more than ours), so who can compete with that? We do wish the sellers the best, and hope that someone ends up living in the little cottage rather than tearing it down and building condos.

We know that our perfect house is out there. We just haven’t met it yet. Can you imagine how rad that’ll be? Now I’ll show you a picture taken with my camera phone from the car, because I just want to look at it sometimes….

That’s it, just peeking out back there. It was on 10,000 square feet of land, with apple trees and blackberries. There was an old broken wagon in the front yard, and a wishing well to the side. We would have had room for an alpaca or two. Of course, the counter-offer we made was so high that we’d have been so broke that we would have had to steal the alpacas. And then we wouldn’t have been able to afford much food, so we would have had to eat them, and that would have been terrible and sad. What a narrow escape!

I was purdy sad and had a little cry. Lala was very nice to me. But I like to fall in love, even with houses (okay, especially with houses, I’m a Cancer), even if it means heartbreak. It’s worth it.

Just as well, too, since I took a new job, and only have two more nights here at this one. Then I have a week off, and then I move to a fire/medical 911 dispatch job. It’s a slight paycut, but will eventually be quite a bit more money, and it will be 3 12-hour shifts a week with an extra shift every other week. What that translates to is I’ll have a four-day weekend every other week, and a three-day weekend on the other weeks. Benefits are much better and it’ll be less stressful than dispatching cops, which I can use right about now. It’ll be a commute of about 25 miles, and it’s a bad stretch of 580, but I’ll get used to it. I’m excited about the change. (Even though it’s completely self-indulgent and egotistical to point you to this link, my coworker and sweet friend Kelly wrote a love letter nonpareil, which is here. Thank you, honey. I’ll miss the crap out of y’all.)

So I suppose that would have been a lot of stress all at once, new job, new house, not knowing exactly how much I’ll be taking home in pay. It’s all for the best. I’m disappointed, but it’ll be okay.

And I need to get back to writing. I’ve been busy and preoccupied, and I’m looking forward to getting back into it.

I love you all. Have I mentioned that? I swear I’ll show you something knitting related soon. I still knit, I promise. Going to knit right now, as a matter of fact. We all know that works wonders.

There’s this house that Lala and I pass when we’re out in my neighborhood walking little dogs. Every time we’ve walked by it, we’ve looked and lusted. It’s a little piece of the country, set right there in Oakland. It’s perfect for us. Trust me on this. I won’t say more, lest I jinx it, but it’s perfect in its dilapidation.

Last week I saw online that it was up for sale. On Sunday we went to the open house on a wild fling. On Monday we started to write the offer. On Tuesday we presented the offer. Tuesday night, they countered (turns out that even when we thought we were recklessly overbidding, we had bid WAY lower than anyone else, but they liked our heartfelt cover letter). Today, Wednesday, we’ll accept the counter (they received fifteen offers and countered three of us) and then we’ll bite our nails and jump in very small circles and be unable to sleep.

The chances are so very, very, very slim that they’ll accept us, and IF they do, that we’ll secure the funding (we weren’t even in the market yet! We have no money! I haven’t sold the condo!), but we’re trying. If we don’t get it, we’re no worse off than we are now, which is nice, indeed. If we do, it’s our dream ramshackle-shack. I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to get all my knitter-peeps crossing their DPNs in our general direction.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTY! My sister is the coolest, and she got her diploma, Master of City Planning, TODAY, which was nice timing. From Berkeley, might I add? She’s that fucking smart (and beautiful, to boot.) I’m very proud.

And THANK YOU for the response on the last post. It means the world that you’re standing by us, next to us, with us. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it, but that’s where I’ll start. Thank you.

Oh, so very, very, very busy. Life is SUPER crazy right now, but in a good way. But I just came home from running desperately important errands (a quick coffee visit with my girl thrown in, and I learned that prosciuotto and pesto on a bagette eaten in the sun is very nice).

We had a fantastic weekend, what with going to Becca’s Knit Out picnic at Lake Chabot (I’ve lived here almost ten years and have never been there? What’s wrong with me?), followed by going up to Bolinas where The Whoreshoes (the original typo was The Whorehoes, which is hysterical) gave another outstanding performance. They’re so the favorite Bolinas band. People young and old showed up already wearing their tank tops, and it was standing-room only from the very first song. And they rocked out, honky-tonk style. It was a fantastic show, and we ended the night throwing our air mattress on the balcony (where Swearingen stands in Deadwood) and slept outside. Okay, it was a little beachy-damp. But awesome under the moon.

    Emily, Lala and Camilla discuss how cute they are

And now that most of my errands are done, and I only have a few more phone calls to complete, I’m glad to be home. On my doorstep this afternoon I found TWO good things:

Steph’s book, and Duff’s tape. I know how I’m spending the rest of my day off. I’ve worked hard enough. Oh, yeah.

https://rachaelherron.com/happy_birthday_/

So here’s my idea.

The signers of the anti-gay marriage petition in Massachusetts (the so-called Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage) are listed here and are a matter of public record. It’s a hateful, unloving thing to put your name to, although I support their right to do so.

It’s just that I’d like them to make a positive difference, if only in spite of themselves.

The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest non-profit organization working for the rights of all lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals. They do a bang-up job, and they have a HUGE fight to fight on a state and a federal level. I throw money at them when I can, but it’s not often, and it’s not as much as I’d like.

But I’d like to donate a gift subscription in the name of the first signer of the petition. For $35, she’ll receive in the mail a cuddly equality bear, and for $50 she’ll get not only the bear, but a nice equality baseball cap, too! I get to include my own (very nice and loving) note to her, as well. I will refrain from asking her what the eff she was thinking, promoting the deliberate stripping away of her fellow American citizens’ civil rights, and instead thank her for opening my eyes to the fact that the divide between people like her and people like me is so wide that I need to take positive action. I will thank her for prompting me to donate to HRC, and wish her love in her life, which is what we all want, right? I just want to marry my girlfriend.  It’s just about love, compassion, and respect. That’s all.

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There are thirty original signers. I’ll donate $50 in a gift membership for Lois C (although if you can’t afford that, $35 gets the bear). Would you like to buy a gift membership for someone else on the list? Grab a name, in order please, and let us know in the comments section who you’re donating for. (And yes, husband and wife couples who are happily and legally married to each other deserve two separate memberships and their own equality teddy bears.)

1. Lois C.
2. Ronald L.
3. Nancy A.
4. Robert H.
5. Tom E.
6. John
7. C. Joseph
8. Raymond L.
9. Anita W.
10. Patricia M.
11. Richard F.
12. Bronwyn E.
13. Kristian M.
14. Lura L.
15. Roberto S.
16. Carole A.
17. Philip D.
18. Joseph R.
19. Jossie E.
20. Leonard L.
21. Richard W.
22. Thomas A.
23. Madelyn M.
24. Alana L.
25. David G.
26. Gilbert A.
27. Philip
28. Hope-Constance
29. Walter H.
30. Kathleen W.

Go HERE to give a gift subscription. Addresses of signers are here.

Work from love, and have fun.

[Added later – I just pledged, and here’s what I wrote (they don’t give you much room). "Thank you for helping me realize that for our laws to reflect equality for all American citizens, I must begin to take concrete actions, donate money, and raise awareness. I do know we both believe in love and respect, and I wish you both in your life."]

Yes, Massachusetts rocks. Dude. They so do. However, there’s a group calling for a "Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage," which will define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and will deny same-sex families marriage and civil unions.

The group has to get it on the ballot, of course. They need a petition to do so. And yo, the signers of petitions are a matter of public record.

I love this site. It’s extreme, yes, but we have to stand by our convictions, or why waste the breath? How long before they manage to close it down, do you think? Thanks to Brooke for the link.

[Would I feel differently if the tables were turned and I was worried about being gay-bashed for signing a pro-gay marriage petition? I might, yes. It’s just that the gays, they’re not so much for the bashing. I don’t think the anti-gay marriage people have quite as much to worry about. Interesting question, though.]

From Human Rights Campaign, "Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger indicated through a spokesperson that he will
veto the California marriage equality bill that passed the
legislature in an historic vote on September 1."

Lovely. I couldn’t believe it when he was elected. What kind of fools were we? Not only was I embarrassed to be an American, I was now embarrassed to be a Californian. I heard people actually saying that they were going to vote for him as a JOKE, never thinking that he would win, and that made me so angry. I wonder how many did? Fabulous. The continued deprivation of civil rights in California, brought to you by the right-wingers and jokesters.

Gah. But this makes me feel somewhat better. You’ve all seen it, right? For those of you who haven’t, here’s Bush writing Condoleeza Rice a note, asking if he can take a bathroom break during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit on Wednesday. Another here.

Heh.

https://rachaelherron.com/from_human_righ/