HIATUS: I probably won't be blogging for a while. We're moving to Los Angeles, you see. The moving people are coming to pick up our stuff early tomorrow morning, which means I'm slightly panicked right now, trying to get everything done. This weekend is my sister's college graduation, and then on Monday Sasha and I are off to L.A. We have about a week's interrim before our apartment is ready, and I'm not sure what the Internet situation will be like, not to mention the acquisition of normalcy. So I probably won't be seeing you all for a week or more. Have a nice time while I'm gone!
CULINARY KIDS: While I think it's great that these kids are learning to cook well, isn't this something that's traditionally taught at home instead of by trained professionals? There are already too many things that we think we can't do without professionals. Do we want to add teaching kids to cook to that list?
WEDDINGS! I couldn't help myself, I went back for more. These pictures are from about 10:30 to 11:30 AM today, in front of the Cambridge City Hall. There were about 20 reporters and camera persons, and maybe 20 or 30 well-wishers standing around at any given time. Some couples were coming in for their marriage licenses, others had already obtained a waiver for the three-day waiting period and were actually getting married on the lawn in front of City Hall.
Here's a happy couple, trying not to cry:
Two married couples in this picture. The women in front have just finished their wedding, while the men in the background say their vows.
Here, a lesbian couple walks into the building with their son.
The crowd of onlookers included some unusual characters:
There was also one young heterosexual couple who obtained a marriage license. I don't know whether it was to show support to the gay community, or just because they happened to pick today to get married.
SAME SEX MARRIAGE: I was at the scene - midnight at the Cambridge City Hall last night, when they started handing out the first same-sex marriage applications. The crowd was so dense I couldn't see a bit of what was going on, but the mood was great and I was happy just to be there. I was surprised at the large Jewish contingent - signs saying Mazel Tov (one in Hebrew), the brass band played Hava Nagila along with Goin' To the Chapel and The Wedding March, and so on.
My camera ran out of batteries, unfortunately, so I haven't seen the few pictures I managed to take. I should get them online shortly. Meanwhile, check out this Photo Essay from the Boston Globe.
UPDATE: As I feared, my pictures turned out terribly. Dark, crowds, getting there late. Oh, well. But this is the best sign I've ever seen at a demonstration:
PICTURES: I don't usually write about the war because I don't have anything insightful to say. Andrew Sullivan usually does, however. Today, he writes:
My gut tells me that the Nick Berg video has had much more psychic impact in this country than the Abu Ghraib horrors.
He's right. I was awake at 3 AM because I couldn't stop thinking about Nick Berg - and I didn't even watch the video. (I have no stomach for violence even when it's fake. Just knowing that it exists was enough to upset me more than anything since September 11 itself.)
HEROES: "Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American difficulties are heralded as objectivity. It makes you wonder if the role of the media is to inform, or to depress - to report or to deride. To tell the truth, or to feed us lies." Read about some American heroes here. (Link via InstaPundit)
Andrew Sullivan has also posted a long quote about the difference between heroism and celebrity that is much worth reading. In fact, his entire site is particularly much worth reading today. Even more than usual.
THE KOLACHE PHENOMENON IS SPREADING! Kolache Factory, my favorite breakfast-food chain (way better than any donuts) is breaking out of Texas this summer. If you can't wait for them to reach your state, you can have them ship some kolaches to you. I'm so tempted. (Thanks to my mom for the heads-up.)
BLOGGER REDESIGN: I find Blogger's new control system exceedingly annoying. Not only is it ugly, it takes longer to do the same things. For instance, when you've written and published a post, you have to click again to get back to the New Post page. And you can't start writing your next post while the previous post is publishing. Whose brilliant idea was that?
NO MORE MR. NICE GUY: My bank has finally stopped sending me letters of the form, "Please consider exchanging your ATM card for a shiny new Check Card!" and today sent me a letter of the form, "We are sending you a Check Card next month whether you like it or not."
FEARLESS SQUIRREL: This little guy hung around outside the window for an incredibly long time, given the presence of a ferocious cat on the other side of said window. I was very impressed. These pictures would have been a lot better had I washed the windows in a timely fashion, but that's life. You can click for slightly larger images.
Fearless Squirrel checks out the situation:
Ferocious Cat takes an ineffectual swing at Fearless Squirrel:
Ferocious Cat looms in the foreground while Fearless Squirrel checks out the contents of our computer room.
SMALL WORLD: A Bryn Mawr Moment. If I hadn't fallen asleep by the time this conversation happened, I could have added that I also know Elliot Reed - I met him at an Objectivist summer seminar.
MOVING: I have packed the ceremonial First Box for the move to California. It has philosophy and science fiction books in it. Nothing particularly significant about those choices, just that philosophy books tend to be large and sci-fi books tend to be small paperbacks that can fit in the gaps.
Here’s the great thing about living in America: I didn’t have to bribe anybody. It would have been unthinkable for the matter to even be discussed.
Here’s another thing about America: four-year olds opening the fridge door, noting the new purchases, and squealing “Oh! Shrek-flavor go-gurt!” You take the good with the bad.
Hanah: (Sits bolt upright in bed, less than halfway through her nap.) What's this? A bee? Must kill... (tracks sound to a humongous fly, perched for the moment on a window) No, just a fly. A huge fly, but a fly.
Ethelwolf: (Comes over to see what Hanah is looking at.) What is this foul creature? I knoweth not, but forsooth my lifelong quest is to hunt and kill this monstrous beast! [Note: This sounds like, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow," punctuated with leaping, crunching window blinds, and trying to climb up glass.]
Maggie: You people are totally lame. (Remains seated on her pillow throughout the entire drama.)
NUDITY IN TEXAS can cause boats to capsize. On another planet (Bryn Mawr College) last weekend, I spent about half an hour in a grassy outdoor courtyard with a fountain in the middle. There were four discrete groups of people sunbathing in the square - one group (co-ed) including some members (female) naked was swimming in the fountain. The other three groups, including one young woman wearing a Muslim headscarf, calmly ignored them.
